BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Advantage West Midlands

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what steps he has taken to ensure that land formerly owned by Advantage West Midlands is being put to use to benefit local enterprise partnerships in the west midlands;
	(2)  what steps he has taken to ensure that land formerly owned by Advantage West Midlands is being put to use to benefit the west midlands economy.

Michael Fallon: As announced in the written ministerial statement of 10 February 2011, the Government were committed to ensuring an effective transition from all the regional development agencies (RDAs), including Advantage West Midlands, to a new economic delivery landscape.
	The Government's objective was that the disposal of RDA assets would create maximum long-term value for the economy and local areas. RDA Accounting Officers had the overall responsibility for ensuring value for money and were answerable to the Principal Accounting Officer of BIS using the provisions of the HM Treasury guidance: ‘Managing Public Money’.
	With respect to the RDA sites which remained unsold, the Government came forward on 6 July 2011, Official Report, column 95WS, with:
	“a ‘stewardship’ arrangement through which local partners, including local authorities, businesses, local enterprise partnerships and others will be able to influence their development and ensure they are developed in a way which maximises economic outcomes for the area”.
	The Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) was made responsible and accountable for managing the portfolio.

Advantage West Midlands

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  if he will publish the (a) date of sale, (b) purchaser and (c) value of assets sold by Advantage West Midlands since April 2011;
	(2)  what records his Department made of the assets sold and transferred by Advantage West Midlands before its closure in March 2012.

Michael Fallon: The Department currently does not hold records centrally of each asset sold by Advantage West Midlands (AWM), in particular details relating to the date of sale and the purchaser.
	The regional development agencies (RDAs), maintained their own records of properties sold and these have been transferred to the Department as part of the RDA closure programme. Obtaining the information would require the retrieval of records from archive facilities and detailed analysis of AWM's records, and this could be done only at disproportionate cost. The sale proceeds of land and property assets (“inventory”) sold by AWM in the financial year 2011-12 can be determined from its audited annual report and accounts 2011-12 as £4.43 million.
	The Government published a full list of RDA freehold land and property assets (as at 30 September 2010) on 28 October 2010, which is available at:
	http://data.parliament.uk/depositedpapers/files/dep2010-1895/dep2010-1895.doc
	The list of sites transferred to the Homes and Communities Agency on 19 September 2011 was published on the BIS website at the time and can be seen at:
	http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/http:/www.bis.gov.uk/policies/economic-development/englands-regional-development-agencies/assets/transferring-assets

Advantage West Midlands

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will list the assets held by Advantage West Midlands at the point that regional development agencies were authorised to sell assets in April 2011.

Michael Fallon: A full list of the eight regional development agencies (excluding London) freehold land and property assets, including those of AWM, as of 30 September 2010 was laid before the House on 29 October 2010—see 28 October 2010, Official Report, column 458W. There were no substantive changes to the list prior to 1 April 2011.

Arms Trade: Middle East

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the value was of the UK's arms trade with Israel in each of the last three financial years; whether defence contracts with Israel prohibit the use of UK-made weapons in the Occupied Palestinian Territories; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Fallon: holding answer 3 December 2012
	The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills holds information only about the value of goods licensed for export, not about the value of goods actually exported under a particular licence.
	Information on export licences granted and refused for each destination, including a description and the value of the goods licensed for export, has been published since 1997 in the Government's annual reports on strategic export controls. Since 2004 this information has also been published in quarterly reports. The reports are available online on the “strategic export controls: reports and statistics” website
	https://www.exportcontroldb.bis.gov.uk/eng/fox/sdb/SDBHOME
	The most recent report covers the period April to June 2012.
	All export licence applications are rigorously assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria taking account of all prevailing circumstances at the time of the application. The Government will not issue a licence if there was a clear risk the items for export would be used for internal repression, would provoke or prolong armed conflict in the country of final destination, or be used aggressively against another country or territory.

Business: Loans

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many small and medium-sized businesses received loans from banks in (a) Glasgow North West constituency, (b) Glasgow, (c) Scotland and (d) the UK in the last year.

Michael Fallon: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills does not have data on the overall level of lending to small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) at constituency level.
	Business-lending statistics at regional level are already published on the British Bankers' Association (BBA) website. The most recent data were published on 30 November 2012 at:
	http://www.bba.org.uk/statistics/small-business
	The BBA has committed to publish SME lending at post-code level, once a sufficient data set has been developed to allow meaningful comparison. The precision of these data make their disclosure commercially sensitive and so their publication schedule will be annual, with the first release to take place shortly.
	The Enterprise Finance Guarantee, the Government's loan guarantee scheme does provide a breakdown at the level requested. Details are provided in the following table.
	
		
			 Area Number of loan offers Value of loan offers (£ million) Number of loans drawn Value of loans drawn (£ million) 
			 Glasgow North West 2 0.34 2 0.35 
			 Glasgow City 43 7.26 39 6.95 
			 Scotland 195 26.31 166 21.26 
			 UK 2,931 330 2,551 280

Employment Tribunals Service

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business Innovation and Skills (Jo Swinson) of 17 October 2012, Official Report, column 363, when the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State will meet the hon. Member for Rutherglen and Hamilton West (Tom Greatrex) and his constituent to discuss the enforcement of employment tribunals.

Jo Swinson: I am happy to meet with the hon. Gentleman and his constituent and have offered times for a meeting to take place this month.

Foreign Companies

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential effect on due oversight and transparency of operation of companies of non-UK resident nominee directors.

Jo Swinson: The UK has a strong framework in place to regulate and oversee the behaviour of directors of UK companies. This applies whether the directors are resident in the UK or overseas, and whether or not they are acting as nominees.
	The information that a UK company is legally required to provide to either Companies House, its investors or other relevant parties is not determined by the residency of its directors. All UK companies have the same transparency requirements whether or not the director is resident in the UK.
	More widely, there are powers to provide for the disqualification of directors where they are found unfit to be involved in the management of a UK company. The Department works proactively to identify individuals committing offences under company law, and to take appropriate enforcement action.
	In 2011-12, for example, we disqualified over 1,100 directors for breaches of company law and misconduct in companies. This included action taken against people who were not formally registered or appointed as directors and shadow directors and included action against directors who ignored their obligations under the tax system.

Motor Vehicles: Manufacturing Industries

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which Minister in his Department is responsible for the UK retail motor industry; and which part of his Department is responsible for the UK retail motor industry.

Michael Fallon: Issues raised by the retail motor industry are dealt with on a case by case basis. The part of the Department and Minister responsible therefore depends on the particular topic. For example, legislative framework for competition is the responsibility of Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Employment Relations and Consumer Affairs, the Member for East Dunbartonshire (Jo Swinson) and training for those working in the sector is that of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Skills, my hon. Friend the Member for West Suffolk (Matthew Hancock).

Natural Capital Committee

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on how many occasions he has met Dieter Helm in his capacity as Chair of the Natural Capital Committee.

Michael Fallon: No such meetings have taken place.

Natural Resources

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether his Department has developed an inventory of natural capital assets for which it is responsible.

Michael Fallon: No, this is the responsibility of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Natural Resources

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what funding he has allocated to assessing the effect his Department has on the UK's natural capital assets.

Michael Fallon: None.

Natural Resources

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many members of staff in his Department work on assessing the natural capital assets for which his Department is responsible.

Michael Fallon: None.

Property: Registration

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what consideration he has given to implementing the recommendation contained in the 2001 Andrew Edwards report on the Review of Financial Regulation in the Crown Dependencies proposing that the true beneficial ownership of UK property be recorded at the Land Registry.

Michael Fallon: The Review of Financial Regulation in the Crown Dependencies was not concerned with the Land Registry.
	In 2001 Andrew Edwards published his Quinquennial Review of Her Majesty's Land Registry. That review did not recommend that beneficial ownership be recorded at the Land Registry but it did invite Ministers to consider the case for disclosure of true or beneficial ownership on the register where this differs from legal ownership. The Land Registration Act 2002 does not contain any such disclosure requirements.
	Currently there are no plans to impose a duty to disclose to the Land Registry.

Property: Registration

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps are being taken to ensure that the true value of English property transactions are recorded at the Land Registry; and what powers he has to ensure correction of the registration of misleading values.

Michael Fallon: In accordance with provisions that are already contained in the Land Registration Rules, Her Majesty's Land Registry enters on the register of title the price paid for the property or, where no money has changed hands or the price is not apparent from the documents, the value declared. The entry remains on the register until there is a change of proprietor or some other change in the register which the registrar considers would result in the entry being misleading.
	The registrar has power, under the Land Registration Act 2002, to correct mistakes in the register.

Property: Registration

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he has taken to ensure that the accurate beneficial ownership of property in England and Wales is recorded at the Land Registry.

Michael Fallon: In accordance with the legislation, Her Majesty's Land Registry maintains a record of legal ownership to land in England and Wales. It does not record beneficial ownership.
	Currently there is no plan to alter the role of the Land Registry in this regard. However, we are currently reviewing the legal framework and enforcement covering the oversight of directors of UK companies, including the issue of nominee directors who are resident overseas.

Property: Registration

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will take steps to ensure that all entries in the Land Registry contain true identities and that the use of nominee or fake designations by offshore property owners is prohibited.

Michael Fallon: Her Majesty's Land Registry maintains a record of legal ownership to land in England and Wales whether the owner is an individual, a company registered in the United Kingdom or a company registered overseas.
	We are currently reviewing the legal framework and enforcement covering the oversight of directors of UK companies, including the issue of nominee directors who are resident overseas.

CABINET OFFICE

Charitable Donations

Robert Flello: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what work his Department is doing as part of the Red Tape Challenge on Civil Society to consider how complexity could be reduced for smaller charities in applying for licences for house-to-house collections of clothing.

Nick Hurd: The Cabinet Office received comments on a range of issues as part of the Red Tape Challenge, but licences for house-to-house clothing collections were not raised and consequently no action on this issue has been proposed.

Emergency Planning College

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office when he last visited the Emergency Planning College at Hawkshills in Easingwold.

Francis Maude: holding answer 22 November 2012
	I plan to visit soon.

Homelessness: Essex

Helen Goodman: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will make an estimate of the cost of the Essex social impact bond as compared to financing by gilts; and if he will publish that comparison.

Nick Hurd: The level of outcomes payments in the Essex social impact bond (SIB) are dependent on outcomes being achieved, which means investors' returns and their initial funding are both at risk. Therefore the cost of capital is not comparable to UK gilts. If outcomes are achieved then Essex will make savings, a proportion of which will be used to repay investors. The exact details of the transaction are a matter for Essex county council.

New Businesses: Devon

Anne-Marie Morris: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the number of business start-ups in (a) Devon and (b) Newton Abbot constituency in each of the last five years.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated November 2012
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning what recent estimate has been made of the number of business start-ups in (a) Devon and (b) Newton Abbot constituency in each of the last five years.
	Annual statistics on the number of business start-ups (we refer to these as enterprise births) are available in the ONS release on Business Demography at:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/bus-register/business-demography/index.html
	The table contains the latest figures available on the number of enterprise births in (a) Devon and (b) Newton Abbot constituency. Please note—Data for the Newton Abbot constituency are shown for 2010, however, prior to this date the area was part of the Teignbridge constituency. Therefore, data shown for the period 2006-2009 are for the Teignbridge constituency.
	
		
			 Count of enterprise births in (a) Devon and (b) Newton Abbot constituency and Teignbridge constituency, 2006 to 2010 
			  2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 
			 Teignbridge constituency 465 500 440 370 n/a 
			 Newton Abbot constituency n/a n/a n/a n/a 240 
			 Devon county 2,960 3,185 2,890 2,440 2,295 
			 Note: The above figures have been rounded to the nearest five to avoid disclosure.

Regional Development Agencies: Assets

Richard Burden: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office which Department is responsible for monitoring the disposal of assets of former regional development agencies and the value for money achieved in that process.

Michael Fallon: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	BIS was responsible for monitoring the disposal of assets held by regional development agencies (RDAs) and for ensuring that RDAs obtained the best consideration reasonably obtainable for all assets other than those transferred under a transfer scheme.
	Where assets were transferred to other bodies by the transfer scheme, the receiving body took on the responsibilities from the point of transfer. For example, the Homes and Communities Agency, which is sponsored by the Department for Communities and Local Government, took responsibility for a large portfolio of RDAs' land and property interests on 19 September 2011.

Training

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what training courses were run by Common Purpose for his Department; and what the cost of such courses was in each of the last five years.

Francis Maude: The Cabinet Office has spent the following on training courses run by Common Purpose in each of the last five years:
	
		
			 Financial year Description Spend (£) 
			 2007-08 Tuition Fees 3,554.37 
			 2008-09 The Know/Personalised L&D 5,287.50 
			 2009-10  0 
			 2010-11 International Navigator Leadership Course 638.30 
			 2011-12  0

CHURCH COMMISSIONERS

Women Bishops

Edward Leigh: To ask the hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, what the votes cast for and against the draft measure to approve the consecration of women bishops in the Church of England were by the respective Houses of Bishops, Clergy and Laity in each diocese of England; and what the votes cast for and against the measure were at the General Synod meeting on 20 November 2012, by diocese and by each House.

Tony Baldry: The following table shows the breakdown of the votes cast at the General Synod of the Church of England during its November session relating to item 501—Bishops and Priests (Consecration and Ordination of Women) Measure.
	The table displays the result by Diocese and by House for all the 44 Diocese of the Church of England and the votes cast by the other constituencies entitled to vote at the General Synod. These other constituencies include delegates from the group of Suffragan Bishops, delegates from the Cathedral Deans, the Armed Forces Synodical Council, and delegates from Church of England Religious Communities, the Universities (six delegates from Northern and Southern Universities), Ex-Officio Officers (including the First, Second and Third Church Estates Commissioner, Dean of Arches, Chair of the Pensions Board and the Vicars General of Canterbury and York Diocese) and members of the Archbishops’ Council.
	
		
			 Voting breakdown by Dioceses and House on item 501 Bishops and Priests (Consecration and Ordination of Women) Measure—Tuesday 20 November 2012 
			  House of Bishops House of Clergy House of Laity 
			 Diocese In favour Against Abstentions No vote recorded In favour Against No vote recorded In favour Against No vote recorded 
			 Total Members by House  52 201 213 
			            
			 Bath and Wells 1 — — — 3 1 — 4 1 — 
			 Birmingham 1 — — — 3 — — 3 — — 
			 Blackburn — — — 1 2 2 — 2 4 — 
			 Bradford 1 — — — 2 — 1 3 — — 
		
	
	
		
			 Bristol 1 — — — 3 — — 2 1 — 
			 Canterbury 1 — — — 2 1 — 3 — — 
			 Carlisle 1 — — — 3 1 — 2 2 — 
			 Chelmsford 1 — — — 4 2 — 3 4 — 
			 Chester — — 1 — 3 2 1 6 2 — 
			 Chichester — 1 — — 3 3 — 2 6 — 
			 Coventry 1 — — — 3 — — 2 1 — 
			 Derby 1 — — — 1 1 1 2 1 — 
			 Durham 1 — — — 3 1 — 3 1 — 
			 Ely 1 — — — 3 — — 3 — — 
			 Europe — 1 — — 2 — — 1 1 — 
			 Exeter — — 1 — 2 2 — 3 2 — 
			 Gloucester 1 — — — 4 — — 2 1 — 
			 Guildford 1 — — — 3 2 — 1 3 — 
			 Hereford 1 — — — 3 — — 3 — — 
			 Leicester 1 — — — 2 1 — 2 1 — 
			 Lichfield 1 — — — 4 2 — 4 3 — 
			 Lincoln 1 — — — 3 — — 2 1 1 
			 Liverpool 1 — — — 4 1 — 4 1 — 
			 London — — — 1 6 4 — 4 6 — 
			 Manchester 1 — — — 5 1 — 3 3 — 
			 Newcastle 1 — — — 3 — — 2 1 — 
			 Norwich 1 — — — 4 — — 3 — — 
			 Oxford 1 — — — 5 3 1 4 4 — 
			 Peterborough 1 — — — 2 1 — 1 2 — 
			 Portsmouth 1 — — — 2 — 1 3 — — 
			 Ripon and Leeds 1 — — — 3 — — 1 2 — 
			 Rochester 1 — — — 2 2 — 2 3 — 
			 St Albans 1 — — — 5 — — 5 — 1 
			 St Edmundsbury and Ipswich 1 — — — 3 — — 3 — — 
			 Salisbury 1 — — — 5 — — 5 1 — 
			 Sheffield 1 — — — 1 2 — 1 2 — 
			 Sodor and Man 1 — — — 1 — — 1 — — 
			 Southwark 1 — — — 6 2 — 5 2 — 
			 Southwell and Nottingham 1 — — — 3 — — 3 — — 
			 Truro 1 — — — 3 — — 2 1 — 
			 Wakefield 1 — — — 3 1 — 2 2 — 
			 Winchester 1 — — — 3 2 — 1 6 — 
			 Worcester 1 — — — 3 — — 2 1 — 
			 York 1 — — — 4 2 — 4 2 — 
			 Suffragan Bishops 6 1 — 1 — — — — — — 
			 Deans — — — — 5 —  — — — 
			 Forces Synodical Council — — — — 1 1 1 3 — — 
			 C of E Religious Communities — — — — 1 1 — 2 — — 
			 Universities — — — — 3 1 2 — — — 
			 Ex-Officio — — — — — — — 3 — 5 
			 Archbishops’ Council — — — — 1 — — 5 — — 
			 Total votes 44 3 2 3 148 45 8 132 74 7 
			 Note: No vote recorded column includes members who were absent, whose vote did not register or where there is currently a vacancy in that particular diocese or constituency.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Business Rates Retention Scheme

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will encourage local authorities to consult local businesses on how revenue raised from the business rate retention scheme will be spent.

Brandon Lewis: The Government expect that all local authorities will be actively engaged with their local business community as part of their ongoing responsibilities for delivering local services. It will be for local authorities themselves to determine how to spend revenue from the business rates retention scheme, taking account of local circumstances and priorities.

Business Rates Retention Scheme

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance he plans to give to local authorities on how additional money raised as a result of the business rate retention scheme can be spent.

Brandon Lewis: The Government do not have any plans to provide guidance to local authorities on how they should spend any additional funding generated by the business rates retention scheme. That will be for local councils to determine, taking account of local circumstances and priorities.

Housing: Fire Extinguishers

Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  if he will make it his policy to designate domestic sprinklers as a factor in sustainable housing so that builders can install them as a measure to meeting the sustainable housing requirements;
	(2)  if he will make it his policy to relax guidance to enable local planners to require domestic sprinklers to be installed;
	(3)  if he will bring forward legislative proposals to require the installation of domestic sprinklers.

Don Foster: The Government have no plans to introduce new provisions for domestic sprinklers in planning policy, sustainable housing policy, building regulations or the guidance that supports these measures.
	The Government have recently launched a review of housing standards intended to simplify the current regime of national and local standards so as to support growth in the housing sector. Details of the review can be found on the internet at:
	www.gov.uk/government/news/independent-panel-to-help-government-cut-housebuilding-red-tape-and-boost-growth
	Research and a review of this issue in 2005 concluded that it would not be cost-effective to provide sprinklers in new homes, but that it would be reasonable to provide them in blocks of flats over 30 metres in height and certain types of care homes. The outcome of the research resulted in building regulations being amended to require sprinklers in tall blocks of flats, certain types of care homes and large warehouses.
	New regulation on housing needs to be balanced and proportionate. Making sprinklers compulsory in all new homes would add an estimated £2,000 to £3,000 to the regulatory cost of a new-build home, meaning fewer new homes, making home ownership less accessible especially for first-time buyers, and potentially pushing up rents in the private rented sector.
	Smoke alarms, which have been shown to be very effective in saving lives and reducing injuries, are required in all new homes. We also strongly recommend that people should fit alarms in older homes and check them regularly.

Regional Development Agencies: Assets

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many assets previously held by regional development agencies' assets and transferred to the Homes and Communities Agency on 19 September 2011 have been sold to local authorities; and what the total monetary value of such assets is.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 29 November 2012
	Since transfer, to date the Homes and Communities Agency has disposed of eight former regional development agency land and property assets to local authorities. The list of these eight disposals to local authorities is listed in the following table.
	
		
			 Agency Local authority Asset Amount (£) 
			 Advantage West Midlands Wolverhampton city council Bilston Urban Village 560,000 
			 East Midlands Development Agency Leicester city council Abbey Meadows, Leicester 294,000 
			 North West Development Agency Wirral council New Chester Road, Rock Ferry Chester 0 
			 One North East South Tyneside MBC Harton Staithes, Harton. Quay 1 
			 South East England Development Agency Medway council Chatham Maritime 0 
			 Yorkshire Forward City of York council Former ABB Site, Holgate Park, York 1,100,000 
			 Yorkshire Forward Barnsley metropolitan borough council Metropolitan Centre, Barnsley market 10,085,000 
			 Yorkshire Forward Sheffield city council Porter Brook site 1,000,000 
		
	
	Transfer at £nil or £1 reflects the value of an asset with an ongoing liability.

Social Rented Housing: East of England

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent estimate he has made of the effect of immigration on the number of new social housing lets in (a) Peterborough and (b) the East of England in the last three years; and what assessment he has made of the effect of immigration on social housing waiting lists in (i) Peterborough and (ii) the East of England over the last 10 years.

Mark Prisk: Under this Government, we have published a number of research reports on immigration that were commissioned by the last Administration but never published.
	They were placed in the Library of the House further to the written ministerial statements of 1 March 2011, Official Report, columns 19-21WS and 10 October 2011, Official Report, columns 1-5WS.
	A comprehensive answer on the limited eligibility of social housing for foreign nationals was outlined in the answer of 17 May 2012, Official Report, columns 247-48W.
	We do not collect information centrally on the nationality of households on housing waiting lists. Information on the new lettings of social housing by nationality of the tenant is published at:
	www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/xls/2055516.xls
	The figures show that, across England in 2010/11, 9% of those new to social tenancy are not UK nationals. Estimates of sub-national levels are not available.
	Such estimates provide a strong argument for the coalition Government's reforms to give councils greater powers and flexibilities over the allocation of social housing, so greater weight can be given both to those with genuinely local connections and to current and former members of the armed forces.
	Through the Localism Act 2011, we have given back to councils the freedom to manage their own waiting lists. They are now able to decide who should qualify for social housing in their area, and to develop solutions which make best use of finite social housing stock.
	Current and former members of our armed forces are one group who have previously lost out in the social housing system, because moving from base to base and living abroad leaves them without strong local connections. We have amended the law such that former personnel with urgent housing needs are always given high priority on waiting lists, and that personnel who move from base to base do not lose their qualification rights. New statutory guidance to councils sets out how their allocation schemes can give priority to current or ex-service personnel, including through the use of local preference criteria and local lettings policies.
	Some councils are not using these new local flexibilities, and they should be held to account and challenged to justify their actions.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Film: Exports

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps she is taking to increase the UK film industry's exports to (a) South America and (b) Asia and the Pacific.

Edward Vaizey: The Government recognise that exports of UK films help ensure that audiences around the world enjoy a full range of British film culture and are a key element in our Growth strategy for the creative industries. As part of its recently launched five-year plan, the British Film Institute (BFI) will increase its existing funding for film exports to support the promotion of British films and film talent on the global stage. The funding will strengthen opportunities for producers and sales agents to engage with prospective international partners, including those from South America, Asia and the Pacific, at markets, festivals and other platforms that are currently being identified as part of the BFI's international strategy. The Government have also recently signed a film co-production treaty with Brazil, and earlier this year the UK and Chinese Governments signalled their intention to work towards a similar agreement as part of the bilateral High Level People To People Dialogue.

DEFENCE

Armed Forces: Deployment

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what UK (a) military and (b) other personnel (i) have been and (ii) are deployed under Common Foreign and Security Policy or Common Security and Defence Policy operations; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 18 September 2012
	The UK has personnel, both military and civilian, currently deployed on a number of missions and operations as part of the EU's Common Security and Defence Policy activity. The current numbers for those operations and missions where the UK makes a contribution are as follows:
	EUTM Somalia—EU training of Somali national security forces: two military;
	Op Althea Bosnia—EU training and executive security force: six military;
	EUCAP NESTOR—Regional maritime capacity building in the Horn of Africa: two civilians;
	EULEX Kosovo—Executive and mentoring activity in the rule of law: 37 civilians;
	EUMM Georgia—EU monitoring mission focused on 12 August and 8 September 2008 ceasefires: 17 civilians;
	EUPOL Afghanistan—Training and mentoring of Afghan Ministry of Interior: 12 civilians;
	EUPOL COPPS West Bank—Support to the Palestinian Authority on wider rule of law issues: four civilians;
	EU JUST LEX Iraq—Strengthening Iraqi rule of law and respect for human rights: six civilians;
	EUSEC DRC—Supporting Congolese reform of their armed forces, working towards national security and social and economic development: three civilians.
	Details are not centrally held of UK military and other personnel deployed on previous CSDP missions and operations.
	The information will take time to collate. I will write to the hon. Gentleman as soon as it is available.
	Substantive answer from Andrew Robathan to Martin Horwood:
	In my answer to your Parliamentary Question dated 18 September 2012, which asked how many UK personnel have been and are currently deployed under Common Foreign and Security Policy or Common Security and Defence Policy operations, I undertook to write to you to provide a fuller response.
	Please see as follows a table outlining current EU CSDP missions and operations and the UK's seconded personnel contribution, both civilian and military staff. These figures denote staff currently and previously on duty and are correct as of 26 November 2012.
	All Current EU Operations
	
		
			 Operation Commencement date UK personnel contribution 
			 EUFOR ALTHEA   
			 Military Operation 2 December 2004 Military: 6 
			   Civilian: 0 
			 Military mission to support Bosnia and Herzegovina's peace- keeping efforts to maintain the safe and secure environment  Figure denotes military personnel currently on duty. Historical data not readily available 
			    
			 EUNAVFOR—ATALANTA   
			 Military Operation 8 December 2008 Military: 65 
			   Civilian: 3 
			 Mission to counter piracy and improve maritime security off the coast of Somalia and in the Indian Ocean  Figures for personnel also include those based at the OHQ at Northwood. As part of the UK contribution to OP ATALANTA the UK provides the Operation Commander—Rear Admiral Potts as well as around 50% of the OHQ staff. Figure denotes military personnel currently on duty. Historical data not readily available 
			    
			 EUTM SOMALIA   
			 Military Operation 25 January2010 Military: 2 
			   Civilian: 0 
			 Military mission to contribute to the training of Somali security forces  Figure denotes military personnel currently on duty. Historical data not readily available 
			    
			 EUSEC RD Congo   
			 Civilian Mission 8 June 2005 Civilian: 5 
			 EU advisory and assistance mission for security reform in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)  Figure denotes total seconded staff since the start of the mission 
			    
			 EULEX KOSOVO   
			 Civilian Mission 14 December 2007 Civilian: 82 
			 Mission to assist and support the Kosovo authorities in the rule of law area, with a specific focus on the judiciary  Figure includes police and denotes total seconded staff since the start of the mission 
			    
			 EUBAM   
			 Civilian Mission Moldova and Ukraine 30 November 2005 Civilian: 1 
			 Mission to help improve the capacity of the Moldovan and Ukrainian border and customs services to prevent and detect smuggling, trafficking of goods and human beings, and customs fraud, by providing advice and training  Figure denotes total seconded staff since the start of the mission 
			    
			 EUMM GEORGIA   
			 Civilian Mission 1 October 2008 Civilian: 34 
			 The mission aims to contribute to stability throughout Georgia and the surrounding region. Its main tasks include reducing tensions through liaison, facilitation of contacts between parties and confidence-building measures  Figure includes police and total seconded staff since the start of the mission 
			    
			 EUPOL AFGHANISTAN   
			 Civilian Mission 15 June 2007 Civilian: 44 
			 The mission contributes to the establishment of sustainable and effective civilian policing arrangements under Afghan ownership and in accordance with international standards  Figure includes police and total seconded staff since the start of the mission 
			    
			 EUJUST LEX   
			 Civilian Mission Iraq/Brussels 1 July 2005 Civilian: 16 
			 The mission was established to strengthen the rule of law and to promote a culture of respect for human rights in Iraq by providing professional development opportunities for high and mid-level Iraqi officials from the criminal justice system  Figure includes police and total seconded staff since the start of the mission 
		
	
	
		
			    
			 EUCAP NESTOR   
			 Civilian Mission 17 July 2012 Civilian: 2 
			 Mission to support regional maritime capacity building in the Horn of Africa and Western Indian Ocean States  Figure denotes total seconded staff since the start of the mission 
			    
			 EUAVSEC South Sudan   
			 Civilian Mission 18 June 2012 Civilian: 1 
			 The mission aims to strengthen aviation security at Juba international airport in South Sudan  Figure denotes total seconded staff since the start of the mission 
			    
			 EUPOL RD Congo   
			 Civilian Mission 1 July 2007 Civilian: 4 
			 The mission aims to develop a police force which interacts well with the criminal justice authorities and upholds legal standards  Figure denotes total seconded staff since the start of the mission 
			    
			 EUCAP SAHEL Niger   
			 Civilian Mission 16 July 2012 Civilian: 0 
			 Mission aims to support the fight against organised crime and terrorism in the Sahel region by training the Nigerian security forces to improve their control of the territory and regional cooperation  Figure denotes total seconded staff since the start of the mission 
			    
			 EUPOL COPPS   
			 Civilian Mission 1 January 2006 Civilian: 12 
			 The mission has a long-term reform focus and provides enhanced support to the Palestinian Authority (PA) in establishing sustainable and effective policing arrangements  Figure denotes total seconded staff since the start of the mission 
			    
			 EUBAM Rafah   
			 Civilian Mission 24 November 2005 Civilian: 1 
			 EU Border Assistance Mission at Rafah crossing point  Figure denotes total seconded staff since the start of the mission 
		
	
	Figures for civilian staff are those who have been seconded by HMG. These figures do not reflect those UK nationals who are directly contracted by the EU to work on various EU missions.
	A fuller investigation into the records held by the Department has confirmed that the provision of any further information on completed missions would be at disproportionate cost, as this information is not held centrally. Should you have questions about a specific previous EU operation or mission I would be happy to provide you with more information. Furthermore, should you wish to visit the Department to discuss CSDP missions and operations I would be delighted for my officials to provide you with a suitable briefing.

Armed Forces: Recruitment

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if the programme of analysis referred to by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland on 21 November 2012, Official Report, column 561 will include an assessment of the potential effects of Scottish independence on armed forces recruitment.

Philip Hammond: The UK Government's position is clear: Scotland benefits from being part of the UK and the UK benefits from having Scotland within it. We are confident that the people of Scotland will choose to remain part of the UK and are not, therefore, planning for any other outcome.
	It is our policy to maintain the integrity of the United Kingdom and we are currently undertaking a programme of analysis of how Scotland contributes to, and benefits from being part of, the UK. This will include how Scotland contributes to, and benefits from, the UK's integrated armed forces. However, without knowing what a hypothetical independent Scottish Government's approach to defence would be, we cannot predict what the implications would be for the defence of the UK or for the defence of an independent Scotland, including the effects on armed forces recruitment.

Armed Forces: Sexual Offences

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many allegations of rape made by members of the armed forces concluded with charges being (a) brought and (b) dropped in each year since 2000; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Francois: The number of cases of rape reported by members of the armed forces which resulted in direction for trial, charges brought and the number which were not directed for trial are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Total number of referrals of rape allegations made by members of the armed forces Directed for trial Not directed for trial 
			 2005 4 2 2 
			 2006 1 0 1 
			 2007 2 1 1 
			 2008 4 1 3 
			 2009 3 1 2 
			 2010 6 1 5 
			 2011 4 2 2 
			 2012 (1)9 5 3 
			 (1) To date—one yet to be directed/not directed. 
		
	
	Information prior to 2005 could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Armed Forces: Sexual Offences

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what instructions were issued to commanding officers on reporting incidents of (a) rape and (b) sexual assault to civilian police between 2000 and 2012; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Francois: The Commanding Officers (Designate) course, run in each of the services, includes briefings on the legal and disciplinary responsibilities of Commanding Officers.
	Since October 2009, Commanding Officers are guided by volume 1 of the Manual of Service Law (Version 2). This provides extensive policy guidance and reference material on the procedures introduced by the Armed Forces Act 2006 and chapter 3, part 3, paragraph 52 refers to consultations with relevant civilian authorities when jurisdiction lies within the UK.
	Prior to 2009 this guidance was provided under the single Service Discipline Acts, Naval Discipline Act 1957, Army Act 1955, Air Force Act 1955.
	A copy of the Manual of Service Law is in the Library of the House.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Lord Lieutenants

Kevan Jones: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 25 October 2012, Official Report, column 1032W, on Lord Lieutenants, what considerations are taken into account when compiling a list of potential lord lieutenants; and which individuals the Head of Honours and Appointments Secretariat in the Cabinet Office met in relation to the appointment of the current lord lieutenant of County Durham.

Chloe Smith: The considerations taken into account when considering potential lords lieutenant are set out in the protocol on the appointment of lord lieutenants published by the Government in July 2009. This protocol was a commitment on the part of the Government in their response to the Sixth Report of the Justice Committee on Public Appointments: Lord-Lieutenants and High Sheriffs (December 2008). A copy of the protocol was placed in the House of Commons Library on 22 July 2009, (deposited paper 2009/2358). The role of a lord lieutenant is a varied one and people from all walks of life may be considered for the position, but the essential criteria for the post are: knowledge and understanding (or a willingness to learn) of the whole county, particular issues and any challenges the county may face; communication skills; someone who has the respect of the community, who relates well to people at all levels and who is tactful, discreet and impartial.
	The current lord lieutenant of Durham was appointed on 19 January 1997; the Cabinet Office holds no records of which individuals were consulted in relation to this appointment.

EDUCATION

Children: Homelessness

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent assessment he has made of the effect of increased homelessness on (a) school attendance and (b) access to school places.

Edward Timpson: All children, regardless of their background or circumstances, are entitled to receive the best possible education. The Department has not recently assessed the specific effect of homelessness on school attendance and school places. Schools and local authorities are responsible for monitoring school attendance and tackling any underlying causes of poor attendance. The first two terms of 2011/12 data show that school attendance is at its highest for the same period over the last five years. These data were published as Statistical First Release 22/2012 ‘Pupil Absence in schools in England: Autumn Term 2011 and Spring Term.2012’ at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s001090/index.shtml
	The School Admissions Code includes specific measures to support vulnerable children. For example, each local authority must have a Fair Access Protocol, agreed with the majority of schools in its area to ensure that any child without a school place, but particularly vulnerable groups, is offered a place at a suitable school as quickly as possible. Paragraph 3.15 of the Admissions Code lists certain categories of children that must be included as a minimum—one of the categories is children who are homeless. The Department's published advice on Fair Access Protocols, which was developed with local authorities and schools, can be found at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/adminandfinance/schooladmissions/

Children: Internet

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what guidance schools provide to children on how they can protect themselves online.

Edward Timpson: holding answer 3 December 2012
	It is the responsibility of schools to provide guidance to children on internet safety. Programmes such as Think U Know and Know it All, provided by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) and Childnet respectively, are widely used by schools.
	Primary schools may introduce internet safety informally or as part of specific projects. At secondary level, it is included in the statutory ICT curriculum and may also be discussed in form-tutor sessions and in PSHE (Personal, social and health education) lessons.

Children: Performing Arts

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he will publish the results of the consultation on children involved in performance; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Timpson: holding answer 29 October 2012
	The law on protecting child performers exists to ensure that arrangements are made by producers to keep children safe. It is important that there is a robust system for protecting children and that producers, parents, local authorities and chaperones all understand their responsibilities and execute them properly.
	The Government have been considering ways of improving the existing requirements without stifling opportunities for children. We consulted on proposals this summer, and spoke to broadcasters, film producers, professional and amateur theatre companies, parents and children. Our proposals to simplify child-performance legislation would not change the requirements for children performing in professional broadcasts to have a licence, issued by their local authority, and to be provided with a chaperone, a person who is approved by their local authority to be responsible for their safety and wellbeing.
	It is right that we carefully consider their views and we will announce our next steps in due course.

Children: Temporary Accommodation

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to support the education of children who are living in hostels or bed and breakfast facilities.

Edward Timpson: All children, regardless of their background or circumstances, are entitled to receive the best possible education. The Government have already initiated a number of new reforms aimed at ensuring our most vulnerable children get the support they need. Pupil premium funding is paid to schools so that they can support the educational achievement of their disadvantaged pupils. The Government are determined to narrow the gap in educational attainment between disadvantaged children and their peers, and the total premium funding available this year is £1.25 billion, rising to £2.5 billion by 2014-15. The rate of premium is currently £623 per disadvantaged pupil this year, rising to £900 next year. Pupils attract premium funding for their schools if they have been known to be entitled to receive free school meals at any point in the last six years: that is, they live in households claiming qualifying benefits. We would expect most families of children living in hostels or bed and breakfast facilities to be entitled to welfare benefits which may entitle them to free school meals. This in turn would make them eligible to receive pupil premium. Children in care who have been looked after continuously for six months also qualify for the pupil premium.
	Schools are free to deploy their pupil premium funding as they wish, as school leaders and teachers are the professionals best placed to understand and respond to the individual educational needs of their disadvantaged pupils. This might include, in appropriate cases, assisting them with any welfare-related issues affecting their ability to learn on an equal footing with their peers, such as access to suitable clothing or equipment. In addition, academies and free schools may, where their funding agreements permit, give priority in their admission arrangements to children who attract pupil premium funding.
	At the same time, Ofsted now have an increased focus on the performance of pupils who attract the premium, and on how it is used by their schools to remove barriers to learning for premium pupils. Since September 2012, as part of routine school inspection, Ofsted holds school leaders to account by looking at how schools have spent their pupil premium, and at their rationale. Inspectors will examine what difference this is making to the learning and progress of the pupils concerned. Their judgements on schools' leadership will consider their use of both the premium and other resources to overcome barriers to achievement for their pupils. We have also revised the School Admissions Code to include specific measures to support vulnerable children. For example, each local authority must have a fair access protocol, agreed with the majority of schools in its area to ensure that any child without a school place, but particularly vulnerable groups, are offered a place at a suitable school as quickly as possible.

Domestic Violence: Education

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what his policy is on mandatory teaching about domestic violence during relationship education in schools;
	(2)  what guidance his Department gives to teachers on teaching about domestic violence during relationship education in schools.

Elizabeth Truss: The Government have no plans to make teaching about domestic violence a statutory requirement. Schools can address the topic of domestic violence in sex and relationship education as part of a broader programme of Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education. When teaching about these issues all schools must have regard to the Secretary of State for Education's Guidance on Sex and Relationship Education.
	The document makes clear that effective sex and relationship education should bring an understanding of what is and is not acceptable in a relationship. Teachers should ensure young people develop positive values and a moral framework that will guide their decisions, judgments and behaviour. In addition, all young people should understand how the law applies to relationships.

Foster Care

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  if he will include provisions in a children's Bill in the current session of Parliament to make it explicit that membership of a political party should not be a consideration when placing children with foster carers;
	(2)  whether he has any plans to change regulations on ethnic matching when placing children in foster care.

Edward Timpson: holding answer 3 December 2012
	The Government are committed to encouraging people from all walks of life to come forward to foster children. Prospective foster carers must be considered in terms of their capacity to look after children in a safe and responsible way that meets the child's development needs. There is absolutely no bar in legislation or guidance on supporters of any political party, or people from any ethnic background, being approved as foster carers.
	When placing a child in foster care, the local authority must give due consideration to the child's religious persuasion, racial origin and cultural and linguistic background. These factors should be considered in the context of the full range of the child's needs, in order to determine the most appropriate placement to safeguard and promote the child's welfare. I am considering whether any changes to the framework are required to make even clearer that the needs of the child must always be paramount in the placement process.

Free Schools

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to ensure that the teaching of evolution is taught in free schools.

David Laws: Free schools are subject to Ofsted inspections in the same way as all other state-funded schools. From January 2012 inspections have had a stronger focus on quality of teaching. Failure to teach evolution as an extensively evidenced theory would affect Ofsted's assessment of the school.
	To formalise our expectation that evolution is included in the science curriculum in free schools we will include a requirement to teach evolution as a comprehensive, coherent and extensively evidenced theory in future funding agreements for free schools.

Free Schools

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many additional school places have been created by the free schools that (a) have been provided to date, (b) are to be provided in 2012-13 and (c) are projected to be provided in 2013-14.

David Laws: Information on the number of school places is published as part of the School Capacity Statistical Release. The following table shows a provisional timetable for when data will be available for free schools:
	
		
			 Free schools opening date School capacity statistical release 
			 September 2011 Spring 2013 
			 September 2012 Spring 2014 
			 September 2013 Spring 2015 
		
	
	We estimate that when they are at capacity the 79 open free schools will create at least 34,000 additional school places. The capacity of the free schools which are working towards opening in 2013 is not yet agreed.
	
		
			 Table 2: Estimated pupil places created when open free schools are at capacity 
			 Phase/type 2011 2012 Total 
			 Primary 17 19 36 
			 Secondary 5 19 24 
			 All-through 2 7 9 
			 14-19 0 1 1 
			 16-19 0 1 1 
			 Infant(5-7) 0 0 0 
			 Special 0 3 3 
			 AP 0 5 5 
			 Total 24 55 79 
			 Places created when schools are at capacity 9,000 25,000 34,000

Jimmy Savile

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department has taken following revelations about Jimmy Savile.

Edward Timpson: holding answer 29 October 2012
	As my hon. Friend is aware, the Government are currently implementing a programme to strengthen child protection and safeguarding arrangements. The recent case involving Savile reinforces the importance of that programme of reform and that the Government have been right to make it a priority.

Schools: Admissions

Jonathan Lord: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of children were given a place at either their first or second choice for (a) primary school and (b) secondary school in (i) Woking constituency, (ii) Surrey and (iii) England in 2012.

David Laws: The Department only collects data on places offered in secondary schools and only at local authority level not constituency level. The latest available information, published on 22 March 2012, showed that 92.5% of parents in Surrey and 93.1% in England were offered a place in either their first or second preference secondary schools for 2012. More detail can be found at the following link:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/STR/d001061/index.shtml

Schools: Playing Fields

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many applications to dispose of school playing fields have been referred to the School Playing Fields Advisory Panel in each year since 1999; and how many such applications were (a) approved, (b) rejected by the Advisory Panel and (c) withdrawn.

David Laws: The Schools Playing Fields Advisory Panel does not make decisions. Its remit is purely advisory, with the decision-making power resting with Ministers. This Government have only approved sales if the school has closed, has merged, or if equal or better facilities are being put in place.
	Records relating to the School Playing Fields Advisory Panel commenced in November 2001 and the information requested is detailed in the following table.
	
		
			  Cases referred to panel Recommended approval Recommended rejection Withdrawn 
			 2001 13 11 2 0 
			 2002 73 67 6 0 
			 2003 36 30 6 0 
			 2004 30 30 0 0 
			 2005 30 28 1 1 
			 2006 14 12 2 0 
			 2007 32 28 3 1 
			 2008 23 19 4 0 
			 2009 17 13 3 1 
			 2010 21 18 3 0 
			 2011 11 9 2 0 
			 2012 12 9 3 0

Schools: Sports

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which school games events of Level 2 or above he has attended in the last year.

Edward Timpson: holding answer 22 October 2012
	During this period the Secretary of State for Education has not attended any school games events of Level 2 or above. Over the past year the school games has provided opportunities for young people of all ability levels and backgrounds to enjoy competitive sport. The school games has helped to deliver on the Olympic promise to inspire a new generation.

Schools: Sports

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department has taken to monitor the provision of (a) curriculum physical education and (b) intra and inter-school competition in (i) academies and (ii) free schools.

Edward Timpson: Academies and free schools are not required to follow the national curriculum but there is an expectation that they will provide physical education and sport.
	Some academies and free schools are excelling in this area. For example, Harefield Academy's Sporting Excellence programme provides extra support to students who display potential for sport whist at the same time requiring them to work hard across all their lessons. The majority of the school's Sporting Excellence students achieved extremely high academic results in 2012. At Lampton Academy, West London, sport is very much at the heart of its ethos. The school's Basketball Academy opened in 2010 which has helped to engage many pupils in education who might otherwise have struggled to progress.
	Everton Football Club has opened the Everton in the Community Alternative Provision Free School in Liverpool, using the power of sport to engage disaffected young people. At the Norwich Free School, physical education is taught by professional coaches at Norwich City Football Club Sports Park. Children are also given regular opportunities to compete in competitions and events with other schools in Norwich.
	The Department does not routinely monitor what academies and free schools provide in relation to physical education and intra and inter-school competition.

Schools: Sports

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the amount of time pupils in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools spent on sport and physical education in (i) November 2012 and (ii) November 2008.

Edward Timpson: holding answer 3 December 2012
	The Department no longer collects data on the participation of school children in physical education and sport. When the Department did collect such data, figures were not broken down on a monthly basis. The 2008 School Sport Survey shows that in a typical week, the average number of minutes that pupils spent taking part in physical education during 2007/08 was 122 for primary pupils and 114 for secondary pupils.

Special Educational Needs

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education with reference to the draft Children and Families Bill, for what reason he proposes that an apprentice aged 16 to 25 years old would not have an education, health and care plan.

Edward Timpson: It is our ambition that young people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities have increased access, choice and opportunity in education, and that their education prepares them for independent living and adult life.
	The draft SEN provisions are currently undergoing pre-legislative scrutiny, and we will be responding in due course.

Special Educational Needs

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education with reference to his draft Children and Families Bill, whether he proposes that a further education or sixth-form college will be able to request an education and health-care assessment of a young person.

Edward Timpson: The draft SEN provisions would enable anyone—including parents, schools, further education and sixth-form colleges and young people themselves—to ask for an assessment by bringing a child or young person to the attention of the local authority. In considering whether to undertake an assessment, the local authority would be required to ask for and take into account any views and evidence presented by the parent or young person.

Teachers: Pensions

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many pension schemes are comprised within the overall Teachers' Pension Scheme.

David Laws: holding answer 30 November 2012
	The Teachers' Pension Scheme (TPS) is a defined benefit occupational pension scheme for teachers and lecturers in England and Wales which provides a range of benefits for members and their families. There is a different benefit structure for those members who first joined the scheme after January 2007 or who re-joined it following a break in service of more than five years. In effect, therefore, there are two schemes (with differing benefit packages) within the overall TPS.
	The most significant differences between the two benefit structures are that those joining after 1 January 2007 have a normal pension age of 65 (previously age 60), and build up their pension at a rate of 1/60(th) of final salary for each year of service with no automatic lump sum, as opposed to the previous rate of 1/80(th) of final salary with an automatic lump sum equivalent to 3/80(ths) of final salary.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Climate Change

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent discussions he has had with his ministerial colleagues in preparation for his participation in the Doha Round.

John Hayes: DECC Ministers meet regularly with ministerial colleagues to discuss a range of issues. As has been the case with successive Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings.

Energy: Scotland

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 22 November 2012, Official Report, column 553W, on grants, how many grants for (a) Renewable Heat Premium Payment, (b) Marine Energy Array Demonstrator Scheme, (c) Carbon Capture and Storage Innovation Programme, (d) Offshore Wind Component Technologies and Demonstration Scheme, (e) Energy Entrepreneurs Fund Scheme, (f) Energy Storage Component Research and Feasibility Study Scheme, (g) Bio-energy Demonstrators of the European Industry Bio-energy Initiative, (h) Offshore Wind Accelerator, (i) Polymer Fuel Cells, (j) Entrepreneurs Fast Track, (k) Low Carbon Network Fund, (l) Beyond Chapelcross Workforce Transition Project and (m) Caithness and North Sunderland Fund were made to recipients in Scotland; to whom each such grant was awarded; and what the total monetary value was of such grants awarded in Scotland.

Gregory Barker: holding answer 29 November 2012
	Answering the question as tabled would incur disproportionate costs.

Fuel Poverty

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what funds his Department allocated to energy efficiency measures specifically for people in fuel poverty in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12.

Gregory Barker: The Department allocated the following funds to energy efficiency measures for households in fuel poverty through the Warm Front scheme:
	
		
			  Funds (£ million) 
			 2010-11 366 
			 2011-12 (1)145 
			 (1) The original budget for Warm Front and associated fuel poverty expenditure for 2011-12 was £110 million. During 2011-12 total expenditure was £108.6 million. Therefore, of the original Warm Front budget £1.4 million was unspent. The budget was increased by £35 million during the year. We also received agreed rebates from Carillion Energy Services of nearly £14 million. These rebates were used to offset expenditure in 2011-12 bringing total reported expenditure for the year to £94.4 million. Against the total budget of £145 million for 2011-12, £50.6 million was unspent. 
		
	
	In addition, energy companies also provided energy efficiency measures to households in fuel poverty through the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target and the Community Energy Saving Programme.

Fuel Poverty: Chatham

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the number of people in Chatham and Aylesford constituency living in fuel poverty.

Gregory Barker: Fuel poverty data are published at a household level rather than an individual level. The latest data show that in 2010 there were around 4,200 households in Chatham and Aylesford constituency living in fuel poverty. This represents 11% of all households in this constituency. In England as whole, 16% of all households were fuel poor.
	Sub-regional fuel poverty data, including breakdowns of fuel poverty by parliamentary constituency, can be found here on the DECC website:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/statistics/fuelpov_stats/regional/regional.aspx

Senior Civil Servants

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 
	(1)  for what reason his Department decided to re-run the application process for the post of permanent secretary of his Department;
	(2)  whether (a) he and (b) his Department submitted a candidate for the post of permanent secretary to the Department to the Prime Minister for his approval; and on what date any such submission was made.

Gregory Barker: The competition for the post of permanent secretary for the Department of Energy and Climate Change concluded without an appointment. For this reason the competition is being re-run.

Senior Civil Servants

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will place in the Library a copy of the job description, person specification and the criteria used by his Department to evaluate candidates for the post of permanent secretary of his Department.

Gregory Barker: A copy of the job description and person specification for the post of permanent secretary of the Department of Energy and Climate Change will be placed in the Libraries of the House. This was used by the selection panel to evaluate candidates for the post.

Senior Civil Servants

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many candidates for the post of permanent secretary of his Department (a) applied for the position, (b) were given interviews for this post and (c) were offered the position.

Gregory Barker: 43 candidates applied for the post of permanent secretary of the Department of Energy and Climate Change. Five candidates were shortlisted for interview. None of these candidates was offered the position and therefore the competition concluded without an appointment and is being re-run.

Wind Power

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 27 November 2012, Official Report, column 315W, on wind power, how many wind turbines emitting 500kW or less have been de-rated.

John Hayes: We do not hold this breakdown of 500 kW or below turbines centrally and it would be resource intensive to provide it. However, as the total number of 100 kW to 500 kW wind turbines to have been registered for FITs to end September 2012 is 32, the number of turbines that have been de-rated to 500 kW or below would be only a proportion of that.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Animals: Exports

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many inspections were carried out by animal health officers on live animal exports (a) on farm, (b) in transit and (c) at ports in each of the last five years.

David Heath: Data regarding the number of inspections carried out by animal health officers on live animal exports for (a), (b) and (c) are not recorded in the format requested.

Ash Dieback Disease

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the likely cost to the horticultural trade of the ash tree import ban.

David Heath: There are no official data for the volume or value of imported ash trees but estimates that do exist. The Forestry Commission estimates that an average of 580,000 ash plants are imported each year, although annual figures vary considerably. A recent survey of nurseries by the Horticultural Trades' Association estimated that about 1.5 million ash trees are imported annually. Taking these two figures and applying Forestry Commission estimates of wholesale prices, the aggregate value added from growing and selling on imported ash trees is estimated, at £120,000 to £300,000 annually. This range does not include potential consequential losses for individual horticultural businesses from the import ban such as contract losses. Nor does it include ash trees imported directly by end users and contractors. This estimate of loss of annual value added could be offset over time as the market and businesses adjust by sourcing and trading alternative species.

Ash Dieback Disease

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what the cost was of his Department's survey of woodland carried out from 6 to 9 November 2012;
	(2)  what recent estimate he has made of the cost of the ongoing (a) weekly and (b) monthly tree surveys investigating ash dieback disease;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of the (a) weekly and (b) monthly cost of tree surveys in respect of ash dieback disease.

David Heath: For the period 6 to 9 November the Department has incurred costs of £115,200 for the survey of woodland. This comprises actual costs and reasonable estimates where actual costs are not currently available, including the estimated cost of staff being diverted from other activities to undertake survey work.
	We have not made any estimates of the cost of the ongoing weekly and monthly tree surveys. Future surveillance work will be determined by the control plan for delivering our objectives for tackling Chalara fraxinea. Until this is in place, we will not be in a position to estimate the cost of any ongoing tree surveys.

Ash Trees: High Peak

Andrew Bingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of ash trees in (a) High Peak constituency and (b) the Peak District National Park.

David Heath: No estimate has been made by constituency area or by national park. However, the 45 County Reports for England from the Forestry Commission's National Inventory of Woodland and Trees published in 2001 give information on the area of woodland where ash is the principal species and an estimate of the number of ash trees outside woodland. These reports are available on the Forestry Commission's website.

Cider

Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if, in the light of the statement from Julian Temperley of the Somerset Cider Brandy Company that he had discussed the issue with the Minister of State in his Department at Apple Day on Mr Temperley's farm, he will correct his answer of 19 November 2012, Official Report, column 329, on cider.

David Heath: No correction needs to be made to the previous answer referred to by the right hon. Gentleman.

Dogs

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking to encourage more responsible dog ownership; and if he will make a statement.

David Heath: DEFRA has proposed a package of measures aimed at tackling irresponsible dog ownership. We have also been working closely with the Home Office to ensure that its new measures to deal with antisocial behaviour will also include such behaviour where it involves dogs. DEFRA’s proposals were subject to recent public consultation and we are finalising the analysis of the 27,000 or so responses before making an announcement on a way forward shortly.

Employment Agencies

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his policy is on the use of offshore employment companies in the supply of public sector workers in his Department and its associated public bodies.

Richard Benyon: Core DEFRA, its executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) do not currently have any specific policy on the use of offshore employment companies in the supply of public sector workers and there are no plans to develop such a policy in the future.
	The Government non-permanent staff procurement framework is used to identify and engage recruitment suppliers for core DEFRA, its executive agencies and its NDPBs. The framework is awarded to UK-based recruitment companies only.

Flood Control and Coastal Erosion

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the Government spent on managing the risk of flooding and coastal erosion in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA and the Environment Agency spent £664.1 million in 2010-11 and £573 million in 2011-12 on managing the risk of flooding and coastal erosion in England. Final expenditure in 2011-12 was £22.3 million higher than originally budgeted, following internal reprioritisation by DEFRA.
	Additionally, local authorities spent £97.4 million in 2010-11 and £104.1 million in 2011-12 on flood and coastal erosion risk-management, supported by Formula Grant from the Department for Communities and Local Government.

Floods: Insurance

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether his talks on flood insurance have included any discussions on insurance provision for small businesses.

Richard Benyon: We want to see affordable flood insurance continue to be widely available. We remain committed to ongoing discussions with the Association of British Insurers and others about what replaces the Statement of Principles agreement once it ends next year. A range of options are on the table. We are working with stakeholders and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills to better understand what the impact on small businesses would be.
	While these discussions with the industry and others are ongoing we trust that insurers will continue to honour the Statement of Principles agreement in this final year and act in good faith towards all their customers, including small businesses.
	Action taken by communities, Government and businesses to reduce flood risk will continue to be the best way of keeping insurance terms affordable in the future. The Government are spending significant sums on flood and coastal erosion risk-management, with increasing levels of external investment as a result of partnership funding. On 30 November, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury announced an additional £120 million would be available over the next two years for spending on flood defences.

Food: Labelling

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the potential effect on sales of labelling of British food.

David Heath: DEFRA does not monitor the changes in the profitability of different food products. However, research has shown that some consumers are willing to pay a premium for food of known origin.
	In late 2011 the British food industry developed a set of principles for labelling the origin of food and when to use the term ‘British’. This shows the industry is concerned about the overuse of terms such as British.

Food: Labelling

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what benefits he expects labelling of British food to bring to the promotion of healthy eating.

David Heath: British food can be eaten as part of a healthy diet but this would not be the rationale for labelling a food as British. Research suggests there is demand from consumers to have information about the origin of food. Nutrition labelling to help consumers chose a healthy diet applies to all pre-packed food regardless of origin.

Guide Dogs

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what penalties are available to the (a) police and (b) courts to punish those found guilty of attacks on assistance dogs.

David Heath: The police have powers under both the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 and the Animal Welfare Act 2006 to seize dogs involved in attacks, fighting or cruelty cases. The maximum penalty for allowing a dog to be dangerously out of control and it injuring someone is an unlimited fine or two years’ imprisonment, or both. Under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, the maximum penalty for the same offence without it injuring anyone is a fine of £5,000 or six months’ imprisonment, or both. The maximum penalty for causing unnecessary suffering to an animal is a fine of £20,000 or six months imprisonment, or both.

Polar Bears

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the Government will advocate EU support for the proposal of the US to uplist polar bears to CITES Appendix I; and if he will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: We are actively considering the USA's proposal to include the polar bear in Appendix I of the convention on international trade in endangered species (CITES) but have yet to adopt a final position. Once the UK has formed an opinion on the proposal, we will work with other EU member states to finalise a common EU position for the Conference of Parties to CITES in March 2013.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Balearic Islands

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will estimate the number of (a) annual UK citizen visitors to, (b) permanent expatriate UK citizens in and (c) other UK homeowners in the Balearic Islands in the latest year for which figures are available.

David Lidington: The information is as follows:
	(a) In 2011 there were an estimated 3.5 million visitors from the UK to the Balearics. 2012 figures to July show an increase of 3.5% on last year. We cannot confirm that these were all UK citizens/passport holders.
	(b) Spanish National Institute of Statistics figures show that 24,000 British nationals were formally registered with their local town halls in the Balearics in 2011, the latest year for which figures are available.
	(c) The UK Government do not have figures on the number of UK homeowners on the Balearics. However, we estimate that only half of all British residents register with their town hall, suggesting closer to 50,000 UK residents in total.

Balearic Islands

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the reasons were for the downgrading of consular representation in the Balearic Islands; and if he will make a statement.

David Lidington: Consular representation in the Balearics has not been down-graded. There is no reduction in our staffing budget but we are restructuring to recruit additional front-line staff overseen by a smaller number of senior staff. This will provide a better front line service for British nationals in one of the busiest consular regions in the world. We continue to maintain a consulate in Majorca, a vice-consulate in Ibiza and an honorary consul in Menorca, and an additional vice consul is being recruited in Majorca. We no longer have a resident consul in Palma but our consul-general in Barcelona heads the Balearics consular operation.

Falkland Islands

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to support cruise ship companies that visit the Falkland Islands and are considering withdrawing the islands from their itineraries following actions taken by the Government of Argentina.

Hugo Swire: The Government are aware that elements in Argentina are pressuring some cruise ship companies to drop the Falklands from future itineraries and have made threats to their operations in Argentina if they do not do so. It would be disappointing if the industry bowed to such blackmail, which is designed to damage the economy and livelihoods of the Falkland Islands' people. The Falkland Islanders are a small community, but they have welcomed visitors for many years, especially from cruise ships, and provided an excellent tourist experience. Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials have had discussions with a number of senior executives in the industry, and we are hopeful that the Falklands will continue to welcome the cruise ships.
	The Government condemn unequivocally any efforts to intimidate companies from pursuing their lawful business. We have summoned the Argentine ambassador, so she is in no doubt about our strength of feeling on this matter. We have raised the issue at the International Maritime Organisation, highlighting the health and safety implications of such actions. And we are in discussions with international partners who share our concerns about these illegitimate efforts to interfere with shipping.

HEALTH

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many admissions to hospital with an alcohol-related diagnosis via accident and emergency departments there were in (a) Suffolk, (b) Cambridgeshire and (c) Norfolk broken down by trust area in each of the last three years.

Anna Soubry: The following table contains the sum of the estimated alcohol attributable fractions for admissions via accident and emergency departments in Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk primary care trust (PCT) of main provider for the years 2009-10 to 2011-12.
	It should be noted that these figures are not a count of people and do not represent an actual number of admissions that were attributable to alcohol at the time of admission.
	
		
			 A sum of the alcohol attributable fractions(1) for admissions to hospital via an accident and emergency department(2) in Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk PCT of main provider(3) for the years 2009-10 to 2011-12(4) 
			  5PP 5PQ 5PT 
			 PCT of main provider Cambridgeshire Norfolk Suffolk 
			 2009-10 6,338 5,979 4,598 
			 2010-11 6,955 6,424 5,211 
			 2011-12 7,019 7,427 5,345 
			 Activity in English National Health Service Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector. (1) Alcohol-related admissions The number of alcohol-related admissions is based on the methodology developed by the North West Public Health Observatory (NWPHO), which uses 48 indicators for alcohol-related illnesses, determining the proportion of a wide range of diseases and injuries that can be partly attributed to alcohol as well as those that are, by definition, wholly attributable to alcohol. Further information on these proportions can be found at: www.nwph.net/nwpho/publications/AlcoholAttributableFractions.pdf 
		
	
	
		
			 The application of the NWPHO methodology has recently been updated and is now available directly from HES. As such, information about episodes estimated to be alcohol related may be slightly different from previously published data. Alcohol attributable fractions are not applicable to children under 16. Therefore figures for this age group relate only to wholly-attributable admissions, where the attributable fraction is one. (2) Admission Method This field contains a code which identifies how the patient was admitted to hospital. 21 = Emergency: via Accident and Emergency (A and E) services, including the casualty department of the provider 28 = Emergency: other means, including patients who arrive via the A and E department of another healthcare provider (3) PCT of main provider This indicates the PCT area within which the organisation providing treatment was located. (4) Assessing growth through time (Inpatients) HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage (particularly in earlier years), improvements in coverage of independent sector activity (particularly from 2006-07) and changes in NHS practice. For example, changes in activity may be due to changes in the provision of care. Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre

Antibiotics

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on the online prescription of antibiotics.

Norman Lamb: In the United Kingdom, the vast majority of antibiotics are classified as prescription- only medicines and should only be supplied for individual patients following an assessment by a qualified professional. The assessment can be face-face or virtual but must comply with the standards set by the regulators.
	Under the Human Medicines Regulations 2012, prescription-only antibiotics may normally only be supplied against a prescription written by an independent or supplementary prescriber, at registered pharmacy premises by or under the supervision of a pharmacist or at a dispensing doctor practice.
	The prescribing and supply of antibiotics and the professionals involved are regulated by the Care Quality Commission and the relevant professional regulatory body—for example, the General Medical Council, the Nursing and Midwifery Council or the General Pharmaceutical Council.

Cancer

Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the East Midlands, West Midlands and East of England are grouped for the purposes of the Cancer Drugs Fund.

Norman Lamb: NHS East Midlands, NHS East of England and NHS West Midlands form the Midlands and East strategic health authority (SHA) cluster, with each remaining a statutory body within the cluster.
	We understand that each SHA has retained its own regional clinically-led panel to make decisions on the use of the Cancer Drugs Fund.
	SHA clinical panels are working collectively to promote improved access to cancer drugs.

Cancer

Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the underspend of the East Midlands allocation of the Cancer Drugs Fund.

Norman Lamb: In 2012-13, NHS East Midlands received an initial allocation of £11.504 million(1) for the Cancer Drugs Fund. Information supplied to the Department by the strategic health authority indicates that to the end of September 2012, £3.291 million of this had been spent.
	(1) £200 million is available for the Cancer Drugs Fund in 2012-13. This comprises £140 million which has been allocated to the national health service and a further £60 million that is available for strategic health authorities to draw down as needed.

Care Homes: Fees and Charges

Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the average fee paid per week by each local social services department to private care homes for clients in (a) nursing and (b) residential care was in 2011, by local authority; and what the average costs were for self-funders;
	(2)  how many care homes there are within each local authority area; and how many of those care homes have fees which fall within the local authority fee cap.

Norman Lamb: The NHS Information Centre for health and social care collects data from councils with adult social services responsibilities (CASSRs) on their unit costs for residential and nursing care for older people, adults aged 18-64 with learning disabilities, adults aged 18-64 with mental illness and adults aged 18-64 with physical disabilities. Provisional data for 2011-12, provided by the Information Centre, have been placed in the Library. Information on the costs of care to self funders is not collected centrally.
	The Care Quality Commission (CQC), as regulator of adult social care services, can provide data on numbers of care and nursing homes in England. Information on numbers of care and nursing homes in all English CASSR areas, as at 29 November 2012, has been placed in the Library.
	Neither CQC nor the Information Centre collects information on which care homes local councils contract with or the level of the fees councils agree with individual homes.

Care Homes: Fees and Charges

Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the proposals of the final report of the Commission on Funding Care and Support, published in July 2011, what the proportion of assets depleted under (a) £35,000, (b) £50,000 and (c) £75,000 will be capped on care costs with an extended upper capital limit of £100,000 and £10,000 living costs; and how the proportion of assets depleted will vary depending on level of income.

Norman Lamb: “Caring for our future: progress report on funding reform” set out the amount of assets that people would deplete under different levels of the cap, including £25,000, £50,000 and £75,000, with the upper capital limit set at £100,000 and general living costs set at £10,000.
	Information on how assets would deplete for different levels of income is not available.

Care Homes: Fees and Charges

Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the proposals of the final report of the Commission on Funding Care and Support, published in July 2011, what assessment he has made of the potential differing effect of the proposals on males and females.

Norman Lamb: As with all decisions, the Department will consider the effect on equalities when making a decision to implement funding reform, including the effect on men and women. The Department will publish its considerations when a decision is made.

Circumcision

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will estimate the cost to the NHS of dealing with problems arising from circumcisions performed at home in each of the last three years;
	(2)  what steps he plans to take to encourage the performance of safe circumcisions.

Anna Soubry: No information is held centrally on the cost to the national health service of dealing with problems arising from circumcisions performed at home in each of the last three years.
	The Department is clear that circumcision should ordinarily only be carried out for medical reasons. Where this is the case, circumcision is undertaken by qualified medical clinicians to ensure minimal risk to patients.
	In England, the national health service does not fund ritual circumcision. In some cases, where there have been instances of harm to children following non-therapeutic circumcision, local primary care trusts have decided to commission non-therapeutic circumcision services to ensure they comply with their duty to protect the health of their populations.
	The Department agrees with General Medical Council, British Medical Association, and the British Association of Paediatric Surgeons that the welfare of infants who are circumcised must be paramount, whatever the reason for undertaking the procedure. Any medical procedure must be undertaken in hygienic conditions, with appropriate pain relief and aftercare.

NHS Property Services

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) primary care trusts and (b) strategic health authorities completed the information transfer of information relating to estates, suppliers, customers, requisition points and users to NHS Property Services by the deadline of 30 November 2012.

Daniel Poulter: NHS Property Services (NHS PS) has confirmed that 141 primary care trusts (PCTs) and nine strategic health authorities (SHAs) submitted returns in respect of the above exercise by the deadline of 30 November 2012. NHS PS is confident that all PCTs and SHAs will complete the transfer of information in good time, and that a smooth transition of the estates finance function will take place between the sending and receiving organisations.

Chronic Pain

Linda Riordan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what criteria are being used by commissioners to assess the suitability of potential providers of pain- management services under Any Qualified Provider, in relation to the needs of patients with chronic pain.

Anna Soubry: Under Any Qualified Provider, the commissioner is responsible for setting the local specification for the service. The criteria used to assess the suitability of potential providers for any service can vary between commissioners according to local quality requirements. East Riding of Yorkshire Primary Care Trust (PCT) and Hull Teaching PCT are currently the only two PCTs implementing Community Chronic Pain Management services. Both PCTs have chosen to use the same service specification for this service, a copy of which can be accessed via the NHS Supply2Health website at:
	www.supply2health.nhs.uk/CPI/Lists/AQPOffers/DispForm.aspx?ID=7

Chronic Pain

Linda Riordan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress he has made on developing a quality standard on the management of pain.

Norman Lamb: We have asked the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) to develop a Quality Standard on pain management for young people and adults as part of a library of approximately 180 NHS Quality Standards. NICE has not yet published a timescale for the development of this Quality Standard.
	The NHS Commissioning Board, which will be responsible for the strategic direction of NHS Quality Standards from April 2013, has begun discussions with NICE to determine the most appropriate sequencing for NHS Quality Standards to assist the board in improving patient outcomes across the five domains of the NHS Outcomes Framework.

Self-mutilation

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department has made of the number of children and young people of each (a) gender and (b) age in England who committed acts of self-harm in the last 12-month period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Lamb: Hospital Episode Statistics supplied by the Health and Social Care Information Centre record admissions to hospital for self-harm. The figures are therefore not fully representative of the number of children and young people who have committed acts of self-harm in England, as this information is not collected.
	Information on the number of finished admission episodes and accident and emergency (A&E) attendances in 2011-12 for children and young people where the cause is self-harm is in the following tables:
	
		
			 Number of finished admission episodes and A&E attendances for self-harm by gender and age in 2011-12 (A&E Data for 2011-12 are provisional) 
			 Finished admission episodes 
			  Gender 
			 Age Female Male Not known 
			 0 7 11 — 
			 1 8 14 — 
			 2 10 15 — 
			 3 8 8 — 
			 4 4 4 — 
			 5 2 5 — 
			 6 5 4 — 
			 7 5 6 — 
			 8 4 5 — 
			 9 8 16 — 
			 10 13 13 — 
			 11 33 35 — 
			 12 258 51 — 
			 13 928 135 — 
			 14 2,115 245 — 
			 15 2,804 500 — 
			 16 2,228 563 — 
			 17 2,429 744 — 
			 18 2,142 936 1 
		
	
	
		
			 A&E attendances 
			  Gender 
			 Age Female Male Not known 
			 0 33 34 1 
			 1 94 126 — 
			 2 96 118 — 
			 3 63 85 — 
			 4 37 53 — 
			 5 41 36 — 
			 6 22 40 — 
			 7 16 30 — 
			 8 21 29 — 
			 9 30 40 — 
			 10 24 42 — 
			 11 57 87 — 
			 12 208 131 — 
			 13 618 204 — 
			 14 1,487 379 1 
			 15 2,001 652 — 
			 16 2,066 925 — 
			 17 2,504 1,289 — 
			 18 2,753 1,659 1 
			 Note: Activity in English NHS Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector. 
		
	
	The Health and Social Care Information Centre advises that it is possible for the same person to be admitted to hospital on more than one occasion and/or to have multiple attendances at A&E, so these figures do not represent the number of patients. It is also possible that the same person may be counted in both tables.
	It also advises that these data are provisional and may be incomplete or contain errors for which no adjustments have yet been made. There may also be errors due to coding inconsistencies that have not yet been investigated and corrected.

Sleep Apnoea

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he plans that the work of his Department's Obstructive Sleep Apnoea Working Group will continue in the reformed NHS.

Anna Soubry: The future programme of work on delivering improvements for people with respiratory disease, including those with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), will be a matter for the National Health Service Commissioning Board (NHS CB) from April 2013. The NHSCB is currently developing its work priorities and plans, and any ongoing work of the OSA Working Group will be considered as part of that process.

Streptococcus

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on public opinion on routine screening for Group B streptococcus carriage in pregnant women;
	(2)  what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on public opinion on the acceptability of receiving antibiotics during labour to prevent the transmission of Group B streptococcus from mother to baby.

Daniel Poulter: The Department has not commissioned or evaluated any research on public opinion on routine screening of pregnant women for Group B Streptococcus (GBS) carriage; or the acceptability of receiving antibiotics during labour to prevent the transmission of GBS from mother to baby.
	The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) published a revised Green-Top guideline on the prevention of early-onset neonatal GBS disease on 18 July 2012. The National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) published a new guideline on antibiotics for the prevention and treatment of early-onset neonatal infection, including GBS on 22 August 2012.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Asylum

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers have participated in the detained fast-track process in each year since its inception, by country of origin.

Mark Harper: The number of asylum seekers, excluding dependants, that have been accepted onto the fast-track process by country of nationality are published in a number of Home Office statistical bulletins.
	I will place a collated copy of all published tables from 2001 to 2011 in the Library of the House.
	The Home Office publishes annual statistics on the number of asylum seekers who have been accepted onto the fast track process. Data for 2010 onwards are available in Table as.11, in asylum excel tables volume 4 of the quarterly Immigration Statistics.
	The latest release Immigration Statistics April-June 2012 is available in the Library of the House and from the Home Office Science website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/science-research/research-statistics/migration/migration-statistics1/
	Information for 2008 and 2009 is available from the Control of Immigration: Statistics United Kingdom 2009 and 2008 Supplementary Tables (Tables 2s and 2u in 2009, Tables 2r and 2t in 2008). Information prior to 2008 is available from the Asylum Statistics, United Kingdom, 2001 to 2007 Bulletins. These are also available from the Library of the House or:
	http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20110218135832/http://rds.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/asylum.html

Asylum

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what safeguards she has put in place to prevent victims of torture and other vulnerable applicants from being assigned to the detained fast- track process.

Mark Harper: Published policy has specific “suitability exclusion criteria” to prevent entry into the detained fast-track process of those accepted as being particularly vulnerable, including victims of torture. Suitability for the process is reviewed throughout an individual's detention, not just at the point of prospective entry. If at any stage it is clear that the suitability exclusion criteria are engaged, the detainee would be released from the detained fast- track process. Criteria include:
	Women who are 24 or more weeks pregnant;
	Family cases;
	Children (whether applicants or dependants), whose claimed date of birth is accepted by the UK Border Agency;
	Those with a disability which cannot be adequately managed within a detained environment;
	Those with a physical or mental medical condition which cannot be adequately treated within a detained environment, or which for practical reasons, including infectiousness or contagiousness, cannot be properly managed within a detained environment;
	Those who clearly lack the mental capacity or coherence to sufficiently understand the asylum process and/or cogently present their claim. This consideration will usually be based on medical information, but where medical information is unavailable, officers must apply their judgement as to an individual's apparent capacity;
	Those for whom there has been a reasonable grounds decision taken (and maintained) by a competent authority stating that the applicant is a potential victim of trafficking or where there has been a conclusive decision taken by a competent authority stating that the applicant is a victim of trafficking;
	Those in respect of whom there is independent evidence of torture.

Firearms: Licensing

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many (a) firearms and (b) shotgun certificates were issued in (i) Avon and Somerset Constabulary area and (ii) England in each year from 2001 to 2012;
	(2)  how many (a) firearms and (b) shotgun certificates were revoked in each year from 2001 to 2012;
	(3)  how many revocations of certificates for firearms or shotguns there were in each year from 2001 to 2012 to date;
	(4)  how many firearm or shotgun certificates were issued in (a) Avon and Somerset Constabulary area and (b) England in each year from 2001 to 2012 to date.

Damian Green: The following tables provide numbers of (a) firearms and (b) shotgun certificates issued and revoked in (i) Avon and Somerset Constabulary area and (ii) total for England for each of the years 2001 to 2011-12.
	Figures for 2012-13 will be published in 2013 (date to be confirmed).
	
		
			 Firearm certificates: grants of applications and revocations, 2001 to 2011-12—England and Wales 
			 Number 
			   Applications granted  
			  Police force area New applications Renewal applications Variation of certificate Revocations 
			 2011-12 Avon and Somerset 421 1,439 362 44 
			  England 10,646 33,341 8,398 317 
			  England and Wales 11,502 35,723 8,951 349 
			       
			 2010-11 Avon and Somerset 449 1,448 358 41 
			  England 10,545 31,969 8,478 368 
			  England and Wales 11,286 34,132 9,054 404 
			       
			 2009-10 Avon and Somerset 343 570 313 18 
			  England 8,909 12,713 7,513 274 
			  England and Wales 9,462 13,500 7,975 302 
			       
			 2008-09 Avon and Somerset 366 284 327 10 
			  England 9,415 9,109 7,709 245 
			  England and Wales 10,046 9,668 8,201 260 
			       
			 2007-8 Avon and Somerset 431 1,268 292 14 
			  England 10,796 27,700 7,503 231 
		
	
	
		
			  England and Wales 11,601 30,158 8,021 248 
			       
			 2006-07 (1)— n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			       
			 2005-06 Avon and Somerset 305 1,107 261 8 
			  England 8,012 27,244 4,973 186 
			  England and Wales 8,615 29,135 5,183 196 
			       
			 2004-05 Avon and Somerset 359 318 304 9 
			  England 8,489 7,611 5,437 240 
			  England and Wales 9,055 8,311 5,646 258 
			       
			 2003-04 Avon and Somerset 261 141 225 8 
			  England 7,178 3,886 4,914 181 
			  England and Wales 7,673 4,116 5,161 195 
			       
			 2002-03 Avon and Somerset 300 975 150 10 
			  England 7,947 23,315 4,572 175 
			  England and Wales 8,562 25,136 4,885 188 
			       
			 2001 Avon and Somerset 266 1,295 n/a 11 
			  England 6,734 29,172 n/a 298 
			  England and Wales 7,120 31,257 n/a 309 
			 n/a = figures not available (1 )Figures are not available due to the transition from in-force data collection systems to the NFLMS in 2006. Note: Figures for calendar years are as at 31 December, financial years as at 31 March. Source: Home Office 
		
	
	
		
			 Shotgun certificates: grants of applications and revocations, 2001 to 2011-12—England and Wales 
			 Number 
			   Applications granted  
			  Police force area New applications Renewal applications Revocations 
			 2011-12 Avon and Somerset 899 5,039 123 
			  England 29,173 126,735 1,221 
			  England and Wales 31,254 137,278 1,301 
			      
			 2010-11 Avon and Somerset 911 5,044 104 
			  England 27,371 119,791 1,293 
			  England and Wales 29,068 130,737 1,379 
			      
			 2009-10 Avon and Somerset 816 1,666 40 
			  England 22,752 44,179 977 
			  England and Wales 23,950 47,137 1,076 
			      
			 2008-09 Avon and Somerset 854 743 54 
			  England 24,024 23,969 941 
			  England and Wales 25,411 25,408 1,009 
			      
			 2007-8 Avon and Somerset 1,146 4,360 47 
			  England 30,297 111,727 868 
			  England and Wales 32,358 123,766 903 
			      
			 2006-07 Not available (see table note 2) n/a n/a n/a 
		
	
	
		
			      
			 2005-6 Avon and Somerset 829 5,173 36 
			  England 23,520 128,701 659 
			  England and Wales 25,220 141,084 699 
			      
			 2004-05 Avon and Somerset 714 1,751 37 
			  England 22,130 42,580 684 
			  England and Wales 23,426 46,577 745 
			      
			 2003-04 Avon and Somerset 760 513 31 
			  England 21,240 12,645 604 
			  England and Wales 22,476 13,470 684 
			      
			 2002-03 Avon and Somerset 656 4,330 26 
			  England 24,339 113,521 559 
			  England and Wales 26,144 125,158 623 
			      
			 2001 Avon and Somerset 586 5,879 35 
			  England 21,389 149,307 751 
			  England and Wales 22,710 162,368 810 
			 n/a = figures not available (1 )Figures are not available due to the transition from in-force data collection systems to the NFLMS in 2006. Note: Figures for calendar years are as at 31 December, financial years as at 31 March. Source: Home Office

Firearms: Licensing

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what the cost, including related expenses and overheads, to the public purse was of renewing a firearm or shotgun certificate for an applicant in each year from 2001 to 2012 to date;
	(2)  what the cost, including related expenses and overheads, to the public purse was of granting a firearm or shotgun certificate to a new applicant in each year from 2001 to 2012 to date;
	(3)  what the cost was to a new applicant, including related expenses and overheads, of granting a firearm or shotgun certificate in each of the years from 2001 to 2012;
	(4)  what the cost was to the applicant, including related expenses and overheads, of renewing a firearm or shotgun certificate in each of the years from 2001 to 2012.

Damian Green: Fees for firearm and shotgun certificates are laid down in the Firearms Act 1968 and are set at £50 for the issue of a new certificate and £40 for a renewal. These fees are currently being reviewed and information provided by the police is being analysed as part of this process to establish the present cost of processing applications.

Firearms: Licensing

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many appeals were lodged against refusal to grant or renew a firearms or shotgun certificate in each of the years from 2001 to 2012.

Damian Green: This information is not held centrally by the Home Office. It is for the chief officer of police for the force concerned to respond to appeals against the refusal to grant or renew a firearm or shot gun certificate.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to answer the letter sent to her by the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton (Sir Gerald Kaufman) on 23 October 2012, with regard to Ms S Small.

Mark Harper: I wrote to the right hon. Gentleman on 4 December 2012.

Offences Against Children

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what steps she has taken to establish mechanisms for monitoring the extent of (a) violence, (b) sexual abuse, (c) neglect, (d) maltreatment and (e) exploitation of children in (i) the family setting, (ii) schools and (iii) institutional and other care settings;
	(2)  what estimate she has made of the proportion of children who experience (a) violence, (b) sexual abuse, (c) neglect, (d) maltreatment and (e) exploitation in (i) the family setting, (ii) schools and (iii) institutional and other care settings.

Edward Timpson: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Education.
	The Local Safeguarding Children Board is the key statutory mechanism for agreeing how the relevant organisations in each local area will co-operate to safeguard and promote the welfare of children in that locality, and for ensuring the effectiveness of what they do. This includes monitoring the effectiveness of arrangements made by the local authority, schools, police and others locally to safeguard children.
	The available information on children who experience abuse or neglect is in the following table. The Department does not hold information on the proportion of children who experience violence, sexual abuse, neglect, maltreatment or exploitation.
	
		
			 Children in Need in England at 31 March 2012 with a primary need of abuse or neglect 
			  Number Rate per 10,000 children 
			 Children in Need 369,41 325.7 
			 Of which:   
			 Had a primary need of abuse or neglect 168,270 148.4 
			 Source: Children in Need census

Offensive Weapons: Licensing

Jesse Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many licences for prohibited weapons were issued by permission of the Secretary of State to private individuals in each year since 2000; and for what purposes such licences were issued;
	(2)  how many licences for prohibited weapons were issued by permission of the Secretary of State to privately-owned companies in each year since 2000; and for what purposes such licences were issued.

Damian Green: Licences are only issued where a genuine need to possess prohibited weapons has been clearly demonstrated. In most instances, this will relate to the manufacture, sale or transfer of prohibited weapons by way of trade or business. Authorities have also been issued to individuals for a number of specific purposes. For example, the testing and evaluation of weapons, for forensic purposes or most recently for the purposes of competing in the London Olympics. The information requested in relation to the number of authorities issued since 2000 can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Passports: Scotland

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the number of residents of Scotland who (a) currently own a UK passport and (b) will own a UK passport in 2014.

Mark Harper: The Identity and Passport Service does not hold information on the basis of geographical location of the applicant.

Police and Crime Commissioners

Ian Swales: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who has responsibility for authorising expenses of police and crime commissioners.

Damian Green: holding answer 4 December 2012
	The Police and Crime Commissioner's (PCC) chief executive should subject all claims for expenses to rigorous verification and auditing.
	Under the Elected Local Policing Bodies (Specified Information) Order 2011, PCCs are required to publish the expenses paid to them and to their deputies in the exercise of the PCC's functions.

Prisoners: Asylum

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) men and (b) women in prison in the UK had before conviction applied for asylum in the UK (i) successfully and (ii) unsuccessfully.

Mark Harper: To obtain a figure for those currently in prison who have previously applied for asylum would involve the UK Border Agency analysing a large volume of individual paper and electronic records, which would incur a disproportionate cost.

Tobacco: Smuggling

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her Department spent on salaries for full-time equivalent staff allocated to the tackling tobacco smuggling strategy in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12.

Mark Harper: Border Force operates a flexible work force model based around multi-skilled officers who operate in different locations. The duties of our officers can range from the detection of different types of goods including tobacco and drugs, to the clearance of passengers at the UK Border, depending on expected demand. Our officers are not dedicated to specific types of detection or clearance of passengers. Therefore there are no records which show the amount spent on salaries for full-time equivalent staff allocated to the tackling tobacco smuggling strategy.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Africa

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions she has had with the financial services sector in the UK on how its skills and expertise could be used in Africa.

Justine Greening: Ministers and officials in DFID's private sector department have frequent discussions with the UK financial services sector. They regularly consult UK and foreign-based banks, fund managers and other financial institutions in relation to our financial sector development policies, which seek innovative solutions to improve the lives of poor people as consumers, suppliers, distributors or retailers.

Developing Countries: Sanitation

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans she has to mark WaterAid's World Toilet Day campaign.

Lynne Featherstone: DFID marked World Toilet Day in several ways:
	By contributing a blog piece entitled ‘Girls, Women and Sanitation—Dignity matters’, as part of WaterAid's “Thunderclap” World Toilet Day blog event;
	By holding a seminar in DFID's Palace street headquarters, featuring both internal and external speakers, on “the role of sanitation and hygiene in improving child survival and development”;
	An all-day exhibition in DFID Palace street atrium which included a display stand with various posters on sanitation and hygiene.

Haiti

Paul Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which projects in Haiti have been supported by the Government since the earthquake in January 2010: what the cost was of those projects; and how many people in Haiti have been assisted.

Lynne Featherstone: The UK Government have provided a total of £30 million of humanitarian assistance in Haiti since January 2010; £18.5 million in response to the 2010 earthquake, £4.5 million in response to the Cholera outbreak (2010) and more recently £7 million to meet vital humanitarian needs following the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy.
	A detailed list of projects funded and people assisted as part of the Haiti earthquake and Cholera response is available on DFID's website.
	Details on projects funded in response to Hurricane Sandy will be available on the DFID website soon.

Horn of Africa

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what progress her Department has made on implementing the recommendation of the Independent Commission for Aid Impact report on her Department's Humanitarian Emergency Response in the Horn of Africa that her Department should work towards a cohesive early warning system, with triggers for action pre-agreed with other key organisations and Governments.

Justine Greening: In September 2012, the Department for International Development (DFID) accepted the recommendations of the Independent Commission for Aid Impact report on the Humanitarian Emergency Response in the Horn of Africa. In March 2013, DFID will report on progress in implementing these recommendations, including on agreeing triggers for early action with selected partners. This report will be available publically on DFID's website.

Iraq

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of current World Health Organisation research into the rates of congenital malformations across Iraq and their potential link to the environmental legacy of Coalition military activities; and if she will make a statement.

Justine Greening: I am aware that the Ministry of Health of Iraq, in collaboration with World Health Organisation, is currently undertaking a study on the prevalence of congenital birth defects in Iraq.
	I understand that the results of this study are expected to be published at the beginning of 2013.

Overseas Aid

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what progress the Government have made in implementing their pledge to double the provision of water, hygiene and sanitation by 2015 to 60 million.

Lynne Featherstone: Our current or planned programmes include:
	1. Programmes managed by our offices in countries in Africa and Asia. We currently have water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) programmes in 15 countries and these are the principal routes through which we will deliver our results;
	2, Existing partnerships with a range of organisations such as the Water and Sanitation Program, Water and Sanitation for the Urban Poor and WaterAid.
	In addition, the Department is exploring further options including new partnerships with the UN, civil society and the private sector. Once specific programmes are approved, they will be made publically available via the DFID website, alongside annual reviews of progress.

JUSTICE

Charitable Donations: Fraud

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (a) how many prosecutions there have been and (b) what the average sentence was for crimes related to fraud and theft in respect of bogus charitable house-to-house clothing collections in each of the last two years.

Jeremy Wright: Information held centrally by the Ministry of Justice on the Court Proceedings Database does not contain information about the circumstances behind each case, beyond the description provided in the statute under which proceedings are brought. It is therefore not possible to separately identify crimes of fraud and theft in respect of bogus house-to-house charitable clothing collections from other offences of fraud and theft.

Crimes of Violence: Sentencing

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people aged (a) 18 or younger and (b) over 18 (i) have been prosecuted for and (ii) have received a custodial sentence for an offence of (A) murder, (B) attempted murder, (C) wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm and (D) wounding or inflicting grievous bodily harm without intent in each of the last five years.

Jeremy Wright: The number of persons proceeded against at magistrates court, and found guilty and sentenced to immediate custody at all courts, for the selected offences, by the requested age groups, in England and Wales, from 2007 to 2011, can be viewed in the following tables.
	
		
			 Defendants proceeded against at magistrates court and sentenced to immediate custody at all courts, for selected offences, by age, England and Wales, 2007-11(1, 2) 
			  2007 2008(3) 
			 Offence and age breakdown Proceeded against Found guilty Sentenced(5) Of which: Immediate custody Proceeded against Found guilty Sentenced(5) Of which: Immediate custody 
			 Murder         
			 18 and younger 155 40 40 40 119 40 40 40 
			 Over 18 657 329 329 329 585 399 399 399 
			 Attempted murder         
			 18 and younger 57 4 4 2 39 5 5 4 
			 Over 18 276 83 83 72 276 88 88 77 
			 Grievous bodily harm(5)         
			 18 and younger 1,200 389 384 297 1,106 327 327 285 
			 Over 18 4,267 1,344 1,350 1,251 4,730 1,334 1,337 1,263 
			 Inflicting grievous bodily harm(6)         
			 18 and younger 1,014 925 924 327 887 815 817 313 
			 Over 18 3,171 3,529 3,563 1,832 3,115 3,536 3,524 1,875 
		
	
	
		
			  2009 2010 
			 Offence and age breakdown Proceeded against Found guilty Sentenced(5) Of which: Immediate custody Proceeded against Found guilty Sentenced(5) Of which: Immediate custody 
			 Murder         
			 18 and younger 100 39 39 39 111 28 28 28 
			 Over 18 554 337 337 337 519 318 318 318 
			 Attempted murder         
			 18 and younger 56 4 4 4 33 6 6 4 
			 Over 18 277 87 88 80 279 83 83 78 
			 Grievous bodily harm(5)         
			 18 and younger 1,233 268 268 227 1,231 281 279 233 
			 Over 18 5,439 1,408 1,406 1,326 5,558 1,456 1,455 1,371 
			 Inflicting grievous bodily harm(6)         
			 18 and younger 902 833 832 332 896 794 787 244 
			 Over 18 3,272 3,853 3,832 2,235 3,510 4,153 4,134 2,227 
		
	
	
		
			  2011 
			 Offence and age breakdown Proceeded against Found guilty Sentenced(5) Of which: Immediate custody 
			 Murder     
			 18 and younger 75 23 23 23 
			 Over 18 556 320 320 320 
			 Attempted murder     
			 18 and younger 38 4 4 4 
			 Over 18 264 90 90 78 
			 Grievous bodily harm(5)     
			 18 and younger 950 228 227 182 
			 Over 18 5,062 1,551 1,550 1,470 
			 Inflicting grievous bodily harm(6)     
			 18 and younger 698 638 631 216 
			 Over 18 3,052 3,824 3,810 2,206 
			 (1) The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates court for April, July and August 2008. (4) The number of offenders sentenced can differ from those found guilty as it may be the case that a defendant found guilty in a particular year, and committed for sentence at the Crown court, may be sentenced in the following year. (5) Offences against the Person Act 1861, s18 (6) Offences against the Person Act 1861, s20 Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice.

Debt Collection

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the recent focus report by the Local Government Ombudsman entitled “Taking possession: Councils' use of bailiffs for local debt collection”; and if he will consider incorporating the recommendations made in the report into the Government's review of bailiff reforms.

Helen Grant: The Local Government Ombudsman's recent focus report, “Taking Possession: Councils' use of bailiffs for local debt collection”, is a very helpful report which highlights the need for reform to bailiff law.
	Its recommendations will be taken into consideration during the finalisation of the Government response.

Driving Offences: A14

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many arrests for speeding offences on the A14 in Suffolk have resulted in a (a) successful conviction, (b) caution and (c) fixed penalty notice in each of the last three years; and what the aggregate value was of the resulting fines in each such year.

Jeremy Wright: Information held centrally by the Ministry of Justice on the Court Proceedings Database does not contain information about the circumstances behind each case, beyond the description provided in the statute under which proceedings are brought. It is not possible to identify from this centrally held information the specific location of each speeding offence.

Immigration: Children

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the potential effect of planned changes to legal aid from April 2013 on local authorities' ability to meet their statutory obligations to look after children and care leavers with immigration claims.

Jeremy Wright: We do not anticipate that the changes to legal aid from 2013 will impact significantly on local authorities' ability to look after children and care leavers with immigration claims. Unaccompanied migrant children become part of the care system and as such are entitled to the full range of support and services as all looked after children. Post-age 18, subject to their immigration status, many will be treated as care leavers and will continue to be entitled to a range of support from local authorities.
	Legal aid will remain available for asylum cases, which will account for the vast majority of cases brought by unaccompanied children. Victims of trafficking, including children, will also be able to get funding for legal advice in relation to immigration or damages claims.

Legal Aid

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will estimate the number of men who claimed falsely that they were fathers of children using legal aid to do so in the last year for which figures are available.

Jeremy Wright: The Legal Services Commission does not collect figures on the number of cases it funds involving paternity. As such, this information is not readily available.

Magistrates Courts: Nottinghamshire

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many proceedings for criminal offences there were in each magistrates court in Northamptonshire in each year since 1997.

Jeremy Wright: The number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates court, for selected local justice areas within Northamptonshire, for the years 1997 to 2011 (the latest available), are provided in the following tables.
	Figures are provided at local justice area level as data collated centrally by the Ministry of Justice do not allow the separate identification of defendants proceeded against at individual magistrates courts.
	
		
			 Defendants proceeded against at magistrates court, for selected local justice areas within Northamptonshire, 1997 to 2011(1,2) 
			 Local justice area 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 
			 Corby 1,822 2,042 2,181 2,177 1,640 1,673 2,411 3,153 
			 Daventry 1,866 1,795 1,759 1,276 1,222 801 2,116 1,913 
			 Kettering 3,059 3,086 3,052 2,685 2,545 2,086 3,312 3,397 
			 Northampton 8,707 9,484 10,443 9,409 7,365 6,765 10,994 11,473 
			 Towcester 1,546 1,373 1,389 987 812 736 2,314 2,104 
			 Wellingborough 3,122 4,316 4,174 3,893 3,085 2,465 3,968 4,640 
		
	
	
		
			 Local justice area 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011(3) 
			 Corby 2,351 2,063 1,288 1,681 1,974 2,026 2,339 
			 Daventry 1,655 2,068 1,388 1,268 1,601 1,264 280 
			 Kettering 2,944 2,763 2,443 2,380 2,684 2,944 2,292 
			 Northampton 10,364 9,204 7,029 7,588 7,554 8,440 8,152 
			 Towcester 1,682 1,073 1,043 787 1,114 958 234 
			 Wellingborough 3,471 2,673 2,118 2,156 2,764 3,057 2,442 
		
	
	
		
			 (1) The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Daventry and Towcester LJAs merged with Northampton LJA in 1 April 2011. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice

Young Offender Institutions

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what the capacity was of (a) secure children's homes, (b) secure training centres and (c) young offender institutions in England and Wales in (i) 2011 and (ii) 2012 to date;
	(2)  how many people under the age of 18 were held in custody in (a) secure children's homes, (b) secure training centres and (c) young offender institutions in England and Wales in (i) 2011 and (ii) 2012 to date.

Jeremy Wright: Table 1 shows the average capacity in England and Wales for (a) secure children's homes (SCHs) (b) secure training centres (STCs) and (c) predominant function young offender institutions (YOIs) in (i) 2011 and (ii) 2012 to date. There are two types of YOIs (under-18 YOIs and young adult YOIs which accommodate 18 to 21-year-olds). A combined figure for all YOIs as well as a separate figure for under-18 YOIs is included in Table 1 for comparison purposes.
	
		
			 Table 1: Average capacity in SCHs, STCs and YOIs 
			  SCH STC Under 18s YOI All YOIs 
			 2011 185 301 2,151 8,242 
			 2012 (to date) 172 301 2,024 8,092 
			 Notes: 1. The average capacity for 2012 has been calculated using the most recent data available. For SCHs, STCs and Under 18 YOIs this is from January until September; for all YOIs this is from January to October. 2. The figures are not comparable across the years as full data for 2012 are not yet available. 3. Only those establishments with a predominant function of young offender institution are shown in the above table (All YOIs). Dual-use establishments with other predominant functions are not included. 4. The operational capacity of a secure establishment is the total number of offenders that an establishment can hold taking into account control, security and the proper operation of the planned regime. It is determined by Directors of Offender Management on the basis of operational judgement and experience. 
		
	
	Table 2 shows the average number of young people under the age of 18 held in custody at any one time in England and Wales in (a) secure children's homes (SCHs) (b) secure training centres (STCs) and (c) under 18-year-old young offender institutions (YOIs) in (i) 2011 and (ii) 2012 to date.
	
		
			 Table 2: Average population in the under 18 secure estate by sector 
			  SCH STC Under 18s YOI 
			 2011 162 274 1,565 
			 2012 (to date) 155 274 1,335 
			 Notes: 1. The average population for 2012 has been calculated using the most recent data available (from January to September). 2. The figures are not comparable across the years as full data for 2012 are not yet available. 3. The figures from April 2011 onwards are provisional. The figures for 2011 will be finalised in the 2011-12 Youth Justice Statistics publication on 31 January 2013. Provisional data for subsequent months are published on a monthly basis: http://www.justice.gov.uk/statistics/youth-justice/custody-data 4. These figures have been drawn from operational sources and IT systems, which are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing and can be subject to change over time. Sources: 1. The data for SCHs, STCs and under 18 YOIs have been provided from the Youth Justice Board (YJB) 2. Data on All YOIs have been provided by the National Offender Management Service (NOMS)

Young Offenders: Literacy

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many children in (a) secure children's homes, (b) secure training centres and (c) youth offending institutions were unable to read and write at the appropriate level for their age at 1 November (i) 2008, (ii) 2009, (iii) 2010, (iv) 2011 and (v) 2012.

Jeremy Wright: Every young person's literacy level is assessed as they enter a secure children's home (SCH), secure training centre (STC) or under-18 youth offending institution (YOI), but the data are not collected centrally for the entire youth secure estate. For under-18 public YOIs, the Education Funding Agency collects information on the literacy levels of young people entering the establishments; however, these levels cannot be directly compared to a specific age equivalent.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Economy

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions she has had with Ministers in the Northern Ireland Executive on rebalancing the Northern Ireland economy.

Theresa Villiers: I have regular discussions with Executive Ministers on economic matters. The Joint Ministerial Working Group on Rebalancing the Northern Ireland economy met for the last time on 18 October, and has now reported to the Prime Minister.

Security Situation

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent assessment she has made of the security situation in Northern Ireland.

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent assessment she has made of the security situation in Northern Ireland; and if she will make a statement.

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent assessment she has made of the security situation in Northern Ireland; and if she will make a statement.

Theresa Villiers: I refer the hon. Gentlemen to the answer I gave earlier today to my hon. Friends the Members for Dartford (Gareth Johnson), for Macclesfield (David Rutley) and for Central Devon (Mel Stride).

Fuel Poverty

Guy Opperman: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps she has taken to tackle fuel poverty in Northern Ireland in response to the findings of the recent Office of Fair Trading report on remote rural communities.

Michael Penning: Tackling fuel poverty in Northern Ireland is an entirely devolved matter for Executive Ministers and not a matter for which I or my ministerial colleagues have any responsibility.

TRANSPORT

Bus Partnership Forum

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when (a) he or (b) his Ministers have met the Bus Partnership Forum in 2012.

Norman Baker: The Bus Partnership Forum (BPF) meets twice yearly and is chaired by me. In 2012, meetings of the BPF were held on Wednesday 18 January and Tuesday 17 July.

Crossrail Line

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether support for UK jobs will be a factor in the assessment of bids for the Crossrail rolling stock contract.

Stephen Hammond: The Instructions for Tenderers that was issued as part of the Invitation to Negotiate (ITN) on 28 February 2012 requires bidders to set out how they will engage with the wider supply chain and provide opportunities for training, apprenticeships, and small and medium-sized businesses within their procurement strategy. Bidders are also required to establish an appropriate local presence to manage the delivery of the contract.
	Bidders are also being asked, in the Invitation to Negotiate, to specify from where each element of the contract will be sourced. This is not an assessment criterion in the decision process, but the successful bidder will be required to report against their proposed estimates.

Crossrail Line

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport who will be responsible for deciding the successful bidder for the Crossrail rolling stock contracts.

Stephen Hammond: Crossrail Limited, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Transport for London and is responsible for the procurement process and deciding the successful bidder for the Crossrail Rolling Stock and Depot contract.
	The sponsors of the project (Transport for London and Department for Transport) will only be asked to approve the final decision.

Cycleways

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health on the provision of cycle lanes following the publication of guidelines on cycling from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.

Norman Baker: I have regular discussions with the Minister for Public Health, the Hon Member for Broxtowe, (Anna Soubry) to consider how we can best support people who wish to travel actively, including by bike. On the day the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) published its guidance, Anna Soubry and I addressed a conference of local transport and health professionals on the subject of active travel. I announced £20m of new investment in cycling, adding to the £45m for cycle safety and linking communities unveiled earlier this year and the broader £600m Local Sustainable Transport Fund. The NICE guidance will make an important contribution to getting best value from this investment and encouraging more people to cycle, more safely, more often.

Cycleways: Leicester

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will provide funding to introduce more cycle lanes in Leicester.

Norman Baker: The planning and provision of cycle lanes and other cycling infrastructure in Leicester is a matter for Leicester City Council. In addition to Integrated Block Funding available to all local authorities for local capital improvements, I awarded £4.4m to Leicester in July 2011 for their Local Sustainable Transport Fund bid "Leicester Fit for Business". This project includes a number of measures to improve cycling facilities and services in Leicester.

Go North East

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many route-change submissions Go North East has made to the Traffic Commissioner since 1 January 2012.

Stephen Hammond: There are two operator licences held by entities trading as Go North East.
	Go North East Ltd holds licence number PB0003954. Since 1 January 2012 it has submitted 29 registrations for new local bus services, 138 applications to vary an existing local bus service registration and 29 applications to cancel a local bus service registration.
	Go Northern Ltd t/a Go North East holds licence number PB0002400. Since 1 January 2012 it has submitted 13 registrations for new local bus services, 84 applications to vary an existing local bus service registration and 22 applications to cancel a local bus service registration.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what due diligence has been exercised by his Department to ensure that High Speed Rail 2 complies with the requirements of Directive 92/43/EEC on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora and the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: The Department understands the requirements of the Habitats Directive and the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2010 and has carefully considered them in connection with HS2.
	Officials have regular discussions with colleagues from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and Natural England on these matters and we will take all necessary steps to ensure compliance with these requirements.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the processes being followed on High Speed Rail 2 comply with the EU Water Framework Directive and the Water Environment (Water Framework Directive) (England and Wales) Regulations 2003; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: My Department has carefully considered the requirements of the EU Water Framework Directive and the Water Environment Regulations 2003 in connection with HS2.
	My officials have regular discussions with colleagues from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Environment Agency on these matters and we will take all necessary steps to ensure compliance with these requirements.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the likely level of additional funding for the proposed Western Connection to Heathrow; and what proportion of that funding will be (a) provided by the Government and (b) sought from a third party.

Simon Burns: The July 2012 High Level Output Specification includes provision for £500 million of funding for a new western rail access to Heathrow airport, subject to business case and agreement of terms with the Heathrow aviation industry. The rail industry is currently developing plans for the delivery of the scheme within the allocated funding. The cost of the link and availability of private funding will be considered in detail as the rail industry develops the proposal.

Northern Rail

Linda Riordan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his timetable is for completion of investment in the Northern rail hub.

Simon Burns: Network Rail estimates that, subject to achieving planning consents, the Ordsall Chord and some line speed and capacity improvements will be completed by December 2016 and the Castlefield corridor and other capacity improvements will be completed by December 2018.

Railways: Fares

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what comparative assessment he has made of the level of fare evasion on each of the train franchises.

Norman Baker: No comparative assessment has been made of the level of fare evasion on each of the train companies.
	There are provisions in the Franchise Agreement requiring train operators to have policies in place designed to reduce ticketless travel and fare evasion in a cost-effective manner, taking account of the circumstances of the individual franchises.

Thameslink Railway Line

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport with reference to the Thameslink rolling stock contract, what the planned dates are for the cascade of the old Thameslink rolling stock from Thameslink to Great Western and Northern Rail services.

Simon Burns: We are working with industry partners to ensure that sufficient rolling stock is in place to meet the requirements for North West electrification in December 2014 and Great Western electrification in 2016.

Thameslink Railway Line

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if the cascade of the old Thameslink rolling stock to the Great Western and Northern Rail services is delayed what alternative provision he plans to make for passengers.

Simon Burns: We are working with our industry partners to ensure that sufficient rolling stock is provided for the start of electric passenger services in the North West in 2014 and on the Great Western in 2016.

Tolls

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department has plans to introduce tolling on enhanced roads; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Hammond: The Government have made a clear commitment not to introduce new tolls on existing road capacity and there are no plans to change this position.
	As we have previously stated, we will examine the case for tolling new routes or substantially enhanced routes where increased capacity will lead to a transformation in their performance.

Travel: Young People

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to respond to the recommendations of the British Youth Council Transport Select Committee report entitled ‘Transport and Young People’ published in September 2012.

Norman Baker: The Youth Select Committee published its report ‘Transport and Young People’ on 5 November 2012. The Government aims to respond to the recommendations in the report within two months of its publication date.

World War II: Anniversaries

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State has had with (a) his ministerial colleagues in the Ministry of Defence and (b) the Mayor of London on the Government's plans to commemorate the Battle of the Atlantic in 2013 or 2014.

Stephen Hammond: I refer to my previous answer to the hon. Gentleman on 22 November 2012, Official Report, column 542W, in which I referred to the reply given by the Minister of State for Defence, Personnel, Welfare and Veterans on the Ministry of Defence's discussions to support civil society-led commemorations for the 70th anniversary of the Battle of the Atlantic. Officials will keep in touch on the progress of those requests.
	I have no immediate plans to talk to the Mayor of London on this subject.

TREASURY

Air Passenger Duty

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 22 November 2012, Official Report, column 556W, on air passenger duty, whether he plans to submit HM Revenue and Custom's research on the effect that differential prices at UK airports could have on the overall demand for aviation and on passengers' choice of airport to the Independent Commission on Aviation chaired by Sir Howard Davies.

Sajid Javid: The HM Revenue and Customs' research is available publicly and the Commission can consider whether it is relevant to its work.

Child Benefit: Barnsley

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many families in Barnsley Central constituency will be affected by his proposed reform of child benefit.

David Gauke: An estimate of the number of people affected by the high income child benefit charge in the Barnsley Central constituency is not available.

Olympic Games 2012: National Lottery

Kate Green: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent representations he has received on reimbursement to the Big Lottery Fund of sums contributed to the London 2012 Olympics.

Danny Alexander: Treasury Ministers and officials meet with, and receive representations from, a wide range of organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors as part of the usual policymaking process. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such representations.

PAYE

Stephen Timms: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many providers of payroll software have held meetings with officials in his Department in the last 12 months.

David Gauke: Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings and discussions with a wide variety of stakeholders as part of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government’s practice to provide details of all such meetings and discussions.

Regional Planning and Development

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has any plans to further extend the powers conferred under the City Deal to smaller regional cities; and if he will make a statement.

Greg Clark: holding answer 4 December 2012
	I am responding as the Minister responsible for City Deals.
	The first wave of City Deals with the eight core cities were completed on 5 July 2012. Building on their progress, the second wave of City Deals with an additional 20 cities was announced on 29 October. The Government are committed to continue to devolve power to cities to foster local economic growth and aims to have completed deals with the next wave by autumn 2013.

Revenue and Customs: Complaints

Alison McGovern: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to improve HM Revenue and Customs systems for handling complaints to prevent unacceptable delays in complaint resolution.

David Gauke: HMRC monitors all aspects of the complaints handling system. It works very closely with the independent adjudicator to reduce any delays and improve the service they provide to customers.

Tax Avoidance

Paul Flynn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with which offshore tax havens based in Crown dependencies and overseas territories the UK has an information-sharing agreement on owners of offshore trusts and companies; and with which the UK is in the process of negotiating such an agreement.

David Gauke: The UK has tax information exchange agreements with all the Crown dependencies—Guernsey, the Isle of Man, and Jersey— and the following overseas territories: Anguilla, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, Gibraltar, and the Turks and Caicos Islands. Comprehensive double taxation agreements are in place with the Falkland Islands and Montserrat and a limited double taxation agreement is in place with the Cayman Islands. All these agreements allow the exchange of information (including information on companies and trusts) to the standard adopted by the Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information. The UK keeps all its treaties under review.

Tax Avoidance

Paul Flynn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment HM Revenue and Customs has undertaken of the use by companies of nominee directors to evade payment of tax in the UK.

David Gauke: Information relating to evasion at this level of detail is available only at a disproportionate cost. On 18 October 2012 HMRC published ‘Measuring Tax Gaps 2012’ which sets out estimates of the tax gap, including that arising from tax evasion:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/statistics/tax-gaps/mtg-2012.pdf
	The total tax gap is estimated to be around £32 billion in 2010-11. Of this total figure, the estimated tax lost to evasion by all taxpayers and across all taxes was around £4 billion.
	The tax lost to all evasion is around 1 % of liabilities. This low percentage shows that the vast majority of taxpayers do not evade tax, and HMRC is determined to relentlessly pursue the few who bend or break the rules.

Tax Avoidance

Paul Flynn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with his US counterpart on the role of that country's Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act in the development of information-sharing agreements with overseas territories and crown dependencies.

David Gauke: The UK is working very closely with the US on the implementation of the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act and will continue to do so.

Tax Avoidance

Michael Meacher: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  if he will take steps to end the practice whereby any British or foreign person can avoid up to 5% stamp duty being imposed on the next purchase by holding their house in an offshore company;
	(2)  if he will take steps to end the practice whereby offshore entities which are controlled and managed outside the UK do not pay any tax on the proceeds of property speculation.

David Gauke: To ensure that those buying expensive residential properties using companies pay their fair share, the Government have introduced a 15% rate of SDLT on residential properties over £2 million purchased by certain non-natural persons. The Government have also consulted on the introduction of an annual charge on residential properties valued over £2 million owned by certain non-natural persons. In addition the Government have consulted on an extension to capital gains tax for non-resident non-natural persons. Both are to be introduced in April 2013.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 26 November 2012, Official Report, column 154W, on universal credit, whether the universal credit project has at the current date a Senior Responsible Officer who is active in post; and who that person is.

Mark Hoban: The answer to the right hon. Member's question has not changed since the replies I gave to his questions, number 126554 on 5 November 2012, Official Report, column 503W, and number 125963 on 31 October 2012, Official Report, column 312W.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his answer of 20 November 2012, Official Report, columns 455-6W, on universal credit, how employees earning less than the lower earnings limit and outside PAYE will self- report their earnings; whether they will be required to do so weekly if they are paid weekly; and how they will be informed of this requirement.

Mark Hoban: The universal credit design will allow all claimants to provide earnings details, including those outside of the PAYE system. Claimants will be required to report their earnings monthly, initially by telephone and in due course on line.
	Claimants will be informed of this requirement when they make their initial claim, but should they wish to report earnings more frequently than monthly they will be able to do so.

Work Programme

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on what date he was informed that contractual minimum performance standards would not be met by any prime provider in the first 12 months of the Work programme.

Mark Hoban: The Department, as per guidelines set by the UK Statistics Authority, was informed 24 hours before the release of the official job outcome statistics though we had early indications from unvalidated internal MI; on this basis, we issued letters to Work programme providers with the weakest performance to make clear that they must do better.
	Performance has built up more slowly than our initial assumptions suggested; this is because participants are building towards job outcomes through multiple periods of shorter term employment. Providers are also taking longer than expected to track and claim outcomes. Our aspiration for the total levels of outcomes to be achieved by providers remains the same.

Work Programme

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether any satisfaction data are being collected from Work programme participants.

Mark Hoban: The Department has commissioned an independent evaluation of the Work programme, which includes a national survey of participants to explore their views on the support they have received. Initial findings will be available from summer 2013; a final report will be published in 2014-15.

Work Programme

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions at what stage in the course of the Work programme he expects to take contractual action in cases where providers fail to meet minimum performance levels; and in what circumstances contracts will be terminated.

Mark Hoban: We have issued letters to Work programme providers with the weakest performance to make clear that they must do better. If performance does not improve sufficiently next year, we have powers to terminate contracts.